Category: Rare Books

March 24, 2010

HIGHLY IMPORTANT ISLAMIC INFLUENCED VEGETAL BLINDTAMPED BINDING

PRINTED 1489: ONE OF THE EARLIEST ENCYCLOPEDIC TEXTS


The Incunable:
Alexander, of Hales; Giovanni Antonio Beretta; Francesco Girardenghi . Prima pars Alex. de ales. [Summa universae theologiae.] Papie. : Per Joa[n]nemantonium de birretis ac Fra[n]ciscum gyrardenghum., M.cccc.lxxxix. Die. xi. Iulij. Colophon, pt. 1: Per Joa[n]nemantonium de birretis ac Fra[n]ciscum gyrardenghum. Papie. M.cccc.lxxxix.Die. xi. Iulij , 1489),. 22 x 16 cm., small 4to., 223 lvs.,; mimor worming affecting last few leaves., COMPLETE PART I of the SUMMA. Islamic Vegetal tools and Medieval Zoomorphic tooled Blindstamped German Pigskin binding, with Italian-Islamic influence. Light bumping to top of spine, slight peeling to lower right hinge of spine, but overall a VERY GOOD UNRESTORED AND RARE CONTEMPORARY BINDING. Provenance: Private collection for over 50 years (not offered at auction); Price 950 DM c. mid 1950s.

This collected work by Alexander Hales (d. 1245), represents one of the first encyclopedic texts, in part concerned with divine and natural law. The work follows in the tradition of the famous Etymologies of Isidore of Seville (seventh century), and was not doubt written in response the rise of Universities which ignited the passion for such encyclopedic works. Examples of other such encylopedic ‘Summae,’ include various Commentaries of Peter Lombard, the Master of Sentences, as well as works by Ricardus Rufus, St. Thomas, Albertus, Pliny etc.

The Pigskin binding is a Very Rare and Important Example of Islamic-style vegetal patterns on a blind-tooled binding, which drew motifs from “existing traditions of Byzantine culture in the eastern Mediterranean and Sasanian Iran.” Such Islamic style blindstamping preceded the importation of other Gold-tooling techniques from the Islamic world.

One can see parallel stylistic examples in wood of the “beveled style—a symmetrical abstract floral motif” at this link

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posted in: Rare Books

February 7, 2010

The first work to give formal expression to the notion of an “English Empire”

PRINTED 1685: COMPLETE WITH BOTH MAPS AND THE PLATES

B[URTON], R[obert]. The English Empire in America: Or a Prospect of His Majesties Dominions in the West-Indies. Namely, Newfoundland New-England New-York Pennsylvania New-Jersey Maryland Virginia Carolina Bermuda’s Barbuda Anguilla Montserrat Dominica St. Vincent Antego Mevis, Or Nevis S. Christophers Barbadoes Jamaica With an account of the Discovery, Situation, Product, and other Excellencies of these Countries. To which is prefixed a Relation of the first Discovery of the New World called America, by the Spaniards. And of the Remarkable Voyages of several English-men to divers places therein. London: Printed for Nath. Crouch, 1685. 12mo., 15cm x 8.5 cm., with publisher’s advertisements on last leaf, engraved frontispiece map depicting Newfoundland to Florida, engraved plates of “the Caribee Islands,” and two showing “Strange Creatures in America” (armadillo’s, alligators, etc.). Map of east coast of North America from Maine to Georgia, with ill. Old Calf boards, heavily worn as depicted, boards broken, flyleaf and t.p. loose but present, some browning and chipping, minor loss to front map as depicted, COMPLETE. Old 1909 Bookseller’s label pasted to inner front board for the 1698 edition for the high price $15.00, and noted as “excessively rare.” Ref: Howes B1034; Sabin 9499.   $5500

This work, by R.B., the pseudonym of Nathaniel Crouch, was the first work to give formal expression to the notion of an “Empire”; understood to be the assertion of dominion over foreign places and people, the introduction of whites and slaves, and the creation and maintenance of settlements as well as trade monopolies. It advanced an economic notion of the American Dominions as being an important economic entity, in the national interest to cherish, nurture, protect, and defend, and therefore did much to raise the importance of the colonies in the English consciousness. [Ref: William Roger Louis, Alaine M. Low, Nicholas P. Canny., The Oxford History of the British Empire]    

The work includes fascinating passages from the Indian Captivity of Quentin Stockwell to the founding of New York. A copy of the the famous map was exhibited by the NYPL in “American Shores”.

posted in: Rare Books

January 6, 2010

PRINTED 1478: THE GREAT MEDIEVAL FRANCISCAN TEXT


A Very Rare, Early Incunable and an Unusual Uncut Copy

The Incunable:

[Marchesinus, Johannes ] Mammotrectus super Bibliam. Venice : Franciscus Renner, de Heilbronn, and Petrus de Bartua, 1478. 260 ff., the first blank (later) plus vellum rear blank; 4to., 234 x 172 mm., some occasional minor browning and spotting, but overall a complete, fine, and very pleasing copy. A HIGHLY UNUSUAL UNCUT and UNSOPHITICATED COPY, ENTIRELY UNRUBRICATED AND WITH EXCEEDINGLY LARGE MARGINS, whose sheets likely lain in quires and were never bound before receiving their present 19th century binding of boards and calf with raised bands. Late 15th century blotted inscription to lower margin of a1: “hic liber pertinet ad loci sancti Laurentii de Bibiena, in banco sexto in latere dextro,” stating the precise location of the text in what appears to have been the Library of the Convent housing the Minor Franciscan friars of San Lorenzo in Bibiena, Italy. A medieval manuscript in the Walters Art Museum bears a similar inscription.

“Compiled by a thirteenth-century Franciscan at Reggio, near Modena, the Mammotrectus is a manual for the lower clergy with short entries explaining difficult terms and concepts encountered in the Bible. The homely metaphor of the title refers to the “maternal milk,” or nourishment, offered by this text. Its early popularity did not survive the Reformation; already in May of 1515, Erasmus of Rotterdam had criticized those priests who still depended upon the Mammotrectus. ” {reF; “http://smu.edu/bridwell/specialcollections/schoeffer/mammotrectus.htm”]. The first book from the press of Franciscus Renner de Heilbronn is dated 1471 which might indicate when the German printer began printing in Venice. From 1473 to 1477 he worked in partnership with Nicolaus de Frankfordia, the period under which this work was issued.

posted in: Rare Books

December 13, 2009

PRINTED 1470-1472: SORCERY AND THE ORIGINS OF THE WITCHCRAFT CRAZE

A HUMANIST COPY OF ONE OF THE 15th CENTURY’S MOST IMPORTANT WORKS

ONE OF THE EARLIEST OBTAINABLE INCUNABLES

Nider, Johannes, ca. 1380-1438. Praeceptorium divinae legis, sive, Expositio decalogi]. (Basel : Berthold Ruppel, ca. 1470-1472) Folio. 30 x 21.5 cm., 330 leaves (i.e. 660 pages) ff. 1,24, 25 in contemporary manuscript. 37-38 lines and headline, double column, Gothic type, Rubricated in red throughout. Handsome contemporary blind stamped deerskin with remainder of two engraved clasps, spine relaid many years ago, contemporary vellum manuscript bookseller’s waste and inscribed paper fragments used as pastedowns. f. 1 rebacked, f.2 with old ex-libris markings, small holes to ff. 1-4 and 19, some leaves repaired, light staining to gutter of preliminary leaves. Likely evidence of a late 15th century humanist owner with a manuscript except of Juvenal on the rear board pastedown; Juvenal being commonly taught in humanist schools: ” Malo tibi pater sit Thermites, dummodo tu sis .Xacida:, similem, Vulcaniaque arrna capessas, Quam te Thersita? similem producat Achilles.” Goff N-196; BMC III 715. A VERY ATTRACTIVE, WIDE-MARGINED COPY OF A RARE, DESIRABLE, AND VERY EARLY INCUNABLE    [$16,500]

Like the Formicarus, this seminal work by Nider elucidates the origins of the witchcraft craze and persecutions by helping to lay theological foundations, recording the names of those who had contravened the first commandment of God with unusual rituals and superstitious beliefs and acts. He discusses women who “boasted of having seen the souls in purgatory and of many other fantasies” as well as those who were not affected by the flames of a candle upon their skin. Theological debates and questions run throughout the work on the devil, poltergeists, noctural disturbances, imaginary fires and other malefici [Ref: Lea, Henry Charles Materials Toward a History of Witchcraft Part 1, 1890, reprinted 2004 ]

This book was for many years considered to be a 1464 imprint and thus the first book printed in Switzerland, based on a rubricator’s inscription dated Oct. 20 1464 in another copy. However, this rubricator’s date was later shown to be inaccurate and the date of 1470-1472 is now generally assigned. Regarding the date, the Woldcat-compiled cataloguer’s notes state: “F. Finkenstaedt, in Beiträge zu Forschung, neue Folge 4 (München, 1932) pp.7-33, although wrongly accepting a rubricator’s date of 1464 as genuine, showed that this edition served as exemplar for Zel’s first edition (Goff N-207), of which a copy is known with an acquisition note of 1472 (cf. also V. Scholderer, in The Library V, 3 (1948/49) p.50 and K. Ohly in ZfB 57 (1940) pp.247-60). BMC dated not after 1474, and Goff about 1470.”

posted in: Rare Books

November 22, 2009

1476: HISTORY OF THE FLORENTINE PEOPLE: THE “FIRST MODERN HISTORY BOOK”

FIRST EDITION, SPLENDID OPENING ILLUMINATION; COPY BELONGING TO LUCIEN BONAPARTE

THE EARLIEST PRINTED ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE OF DANTE

The Book:

BRUNUS ARETINUS, Leonardus (1369-1444). Historiae florentini populi, in Italian. Translated from the Latin by Donatus Acciaiuolus. Venice: Jacobus Rubeus, 12 February 1476. FIRST EDITION. Folio. (320 x 230 mm). Collation: a-k10 kk6 l-p10 q12 r-x10 (a1 blank, a2r translator’s prologue, a2v author’s prologue, a3v text, x10r colophon, x10v blank). 218 leaves (inc. first blank). 41 lines. Type 1:110R; Colophon: FINE Delduodecimo & ultimo libro della historia del Popolo Fiorentino composta da Messer Lionardo aretino in latino:Et tradocta īlingua tosca da Donato Acciaioli a di.xxvii.dagosto:Mcccclxxiii. Impresso a Vinegia perlo diligente huomo Maestro Iacomo de Rossi di natione Gallo:Nellanno del Mcccclxxvi.a di xii.di Febraio:Regnante lo inclyto Principe Messer Piero Mozenico. Opening initial M finely illuminated by a contemporary Florentine artist in gold leaf on blue, pink and green ground with white penwork infill, extensive white-vine decoration on blue, pink and green ground flanking a central painted armorial shield (rubbed). 19th century vellum over boards, gilt turn-ins, front board detached, spine detached. COMPLETE, WIDE-MARGINED AND TALL COPY; dampstaining throughout and stains, two pages with old repairs, colophon leaf mounted. HC1562; BMC V, Proctor 4242; Goff B-1247. PROVENANCE: Lucien Bonaparte, Prince Français, 1st Prince of Canino and Musignano (21 May 1775 – 29 June 1840), born Luciano Buonaparte, the third surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and his wife Letizia Ramolino. and the younger brother of Joseph and Napoleon Bonaparte; Evidently presented by Guilliame Libri, the notorious 19th century book thief who removed items from many Continental libraries; French, Asa Palmer (1860-1935) U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, 1906-14.; Maggs Bros Cat. #330; 1914. [$28,000]

“Leonardo Bruni’s most notable work is History of the Florentine People, which has been called the first modern history book. Bruni was the first historian to write about the three period view of history: Antiquity, Middle Age, and Modern, a concept from which the term Middle Age was coined by a contemporary Flavio Biondo. The dates Bruni used to define the periods are not exactly what modern historians use today, but he laid the conceptual groundwork for a tripartite division of history. While it probably was not Bruni’s intention to secularize history, the three period view of history is unquestionably secular and for that Bruni has been called the first modern historian.[1] The foundation of Bruni’s conception can be found with Petrarch who had first written, a generation earlier, about a “Dark Age” covering the period from the time of the fall of Rome extending to the time of Petrarch. Bruni and his fellow humanists believed they had reached the end of the Dark Age and were entering a modern period and thus logically called the intervening period a Middle Age.” [Ref: Wikipedia] Included in the chronicle is the earliest printed account of the life of Dante. The printer, Jacobus Rubeus, was a friend of Nicolas Jenson, the famed typographer, and the type employed here model Jensonian typefaces.

posted in: Rare Books