Forum Rare Books

First edition in the original Greek of the oldest treatise on spherical geometry

THEODOSIUS. Sphaericorum libri tres, nunquam antehac graece excusi.
Paris, André Wechel, 1558. Small 4to (21 x 14 cm). With woodcut publisher's Pegasus device on title-page (repeated on last page), numerous woodcut mathematical diagrams in text, woodcut headpieces and decorated initials. 18th-century tanned sheepskin, gold-tooled spine and board edges. [8], 54, [2], 70, [2] pp. Full description

€ 9,500

Arabic Printing & Calligraphy Astronomy & Cosmography Early Printing - 16th century Greek & Roman Classics Mathematics Science

Reintroducing Roman law to the Renaissance

THEOPHILUS ANTECESSOR and Jacobus CURTIUS (translator). Institutionum juris civilis libri quatuor ... è Graeco in Latinum per D. Iac. Curtium Brugensem Iurisconsultum conversi, ac iterum excusi.
Antwerp, (colophon: Joannes Grapheus for) Joannes Steelsius, 1539. 8vo (15.4 x 10.4 cm). With a large woodcut folding table at the end, a woodcut device of Steelsius on the recto of the otherwise blank last leaf, and some woodcut decorated initials throughout. Contemporary blind-tooled pigskin. [8], 221, [3] ll. Full description

€ 2,500

Classical Antiquity Early Printing - 16th century Law & Politics

First edition of an important and one of the earliest works on colour, formerly attributed to Aristotle

[THEOPHRASTUS? (pseudo ARISTOTLE)] and Simone PORZIO. De coloribus libellus, à Simone Portio Neapolitano latinate donatus, & cometariis illustratus: una cum euisdem praefatione, qua coloris naturam declarat.
Florence, Lorenzo Torrentino, 1548. 4to. With 2 large woodcut historiated initials. Contemporary limp sheepskin parchment, manuscript spine-title, with 4 fragments of a Latin manuscript in an upright humanistic hand on vellum used as spine lining. 197, [3] pp. Full description

€ 12,500

Classical Antiquity Early Printing - 16th century Greek & Roman Classics Physics & Chemistry Science

First complete edition of the first major Latin publication devoted to falconry: lessons in choosing,
training and caring for hunting birds in about 2780 lines of verse

THOU (THUANUS), Jacques-Auguste de. Hieracosophioy, sive de re accipitraria libri tres.
Paris, Mamert Patisson, Kings Printer "in officina Robert Estienne", 1584. Small 4to (22 x 15 cm). With the late Robert I Estienne's large woodcut device on the title-page. With the poem and Thou's 11-page verse letter to Philippe Huralt in italic type and the preliminaries and some end matter in roman. Half parchment (ca. 1892). [4], 95, [13] pp. Full description

€ 8,000

Birds - Ornithology Falconry, Fishing & Hunting Literature

First Italian translation, in a beautiful contemporary Italian binding

THUCYDIDES and Francesco di Soldo STROZZI (translator). Delle guerre fatte tra popoli della Morea, et gli Atheniesi, nuovamente dal Greco idioma, nella lingua Thoscana, con ogni diligenza tradotto, per Francesco di Soldo Strozzi Fiorentino. L'annotatione, & dichiaratione di tutti i luoghi difficili, con la tavola copiosissima di tutte le guerre, le paci, gli accordi, le triegue, le leghe, le battaglie navali, le giornate, le citta prese, i por tenti accaduti, i pronostichi fatti, i luoghi spianati, arsi, & distrutti, che nell'historia si contengono: posti tutti per ordine dell'alphabeto.
[Venice], Laocoonte, [1550]. 8vo. With a woodcut printer's device depicting the Laocoön Group on the title page and final leaf, and several historiated woodcut initials in the text. Contemporary Italian gold-tooled brown morocco. [12], 440 ll. Full description

€ 4,000

Balkan & Greece Bindings Classical Antiquity Early Printing - 16th century History / 16th Century Italy Military History (16th Century)

Definitive edition of the first substantial Dutch manual on the notary's practice

THUYS, Jacques. Ars notariatus. Dat is: Conste en[de] stijl van notarischap: begrepen in Theorijcke ende Practijcke... Desen derden druck, grootelijcken vermeerdert ende verbetert ...
Antwerp, Arnout s'Conincx, 1590. Small 8vo (15.5 x 10 cm). With woodcut publisher's device (with letterpress motto "Virtute et constantia") on title-page, a woodcut tail-piece and woodcut decorated initials (3 series). Set in textura types with incidental roman, with sample documents set in civilité with incidental italic. 17th-century parchment. [16], 231, [1] pp. Full description

€ 2,500

Early Printing - 16th century Economic History & Trade Law & Politics School & Textbooks

Twin pillars of Titelmans’ Psalm commentary

TITELMANS, Frans. Elucidatio in omnes psalmos juxta veritatem vulgatae & ecclesiae usitatae aeditionis Latinae ...
Antwerp, Merten de Keyser, June 1531.
With:
(2) TITELMANS, Frans. Annotationes ex Hebraeo atque Chaldaeo in omnes psalmos ...
Antwerpen, Simon Cock, 1531. 2 works in 1 volume. Folio (27.6 x 22.2 cm). Ad 1 with a woodcut decorated title frame, a full-page woodcut of the kneeling Charles V at the end, and several woodcut decorated initials throughout. Ad 2 with the same full-page woodcut of Charles V at the end, and 1 woodcut decorated initial. 18th-century overlapping vellum. [18], 393, [1]; XLIII, [1] ll. Full description

€ 3,500

Early Printing - 16th century Religion (16th Century)

Fine, large-margined second edition (1470/71) of important commentaries on all 150 psalms

TORQUEMADA, Juan de (Johannes de TURRECREMATA). [Expositio super toto psalterio, incipit:] Ad sanctissimum ac beatissimum dominum dominum Pium Secundum Pontificem Maximum editio in librum psalmorum quem alii soliloquium dicunt incipit feliciter ... [colophon:] Explanatio in psalterium ...
(Colophon:) Augsburg, printed by Johann Schüssler, [1470/71]. Folio (30 x 22 cm). Set in a single type, largely a rotunda gothic but with some roman influences with 35 lines per page, with about 150 manuscript "Lombardic" initials in red ink, the lines introducing the commentary for each psalm underscored and with manuscript paragraph marks, both in red ink. Late 19th-century(?) half vellum, boards covered with 2 leaves from a Latin Vulgate Bible printed on vellum. [266], [2 blank] pp. ([133], [1 blank] ll.) Full description

€ 32,500

Bibles, Liturgy & Devotional Works Early Printing - 15th century

The first dictionary of classical mythology

TORRENTINUS, Hermannus. Elucidarius carminu[m] et historiaru[m] vel vocabularius poeticus co[n]tine[n]s fabulas: historias: provincias: urbes: insulas: fluvios: et montes illustres.
(Colophon:) Hagenau, Heinrich Gran for Johann Rynmann, 1510. 4to. 19th-century blind-tooled red morocco, with a gold-tooled centre-piece on both sides, title, date and location of printing lettered in gold on the spine, gold- and blind-tooled broad turn-ins, gilt edges, blue endpapers. [1 blank], [60], [1 blank] ll. Full description

€ 2,250

Bindings Classical Antiquity Dictionaries & Encyclopedias Early Printing - 16th century Education & Pedagogy

Rare 1527 edition of classical dictionary, owned by the neo-Latin poet Renier Tengnagel (d. 1565)

TORRENTINUS, Hermannus (Herman van der BEKE). Elucidarius poeticus co[n]tinens historias poeticas, fabulas, insulas regiones, urbes, fluvios, mo[n]tesq[ue] insigniores, atq[ue] huiusmodi alia, ...
Antwerp, Michiel Hillen van Hoogstraten, 1527. With the title in an elaborate woodcut border.
With: (2) [FIOCCHI, Andrea Dominico (Andras Dominicus FLOCCUS)] under the name of Lucius FENESTELLA. De magistratibus, sacerdotiisq[ue] Romanorum libellus, iamprimum nitori restitutus.
[Cologne, Hero Fuchs, 1527]. With the title in a finely cut 4-piece woodcut border. 2 editions in 1 volume. 8vo. 16th-century(?) limp vellum (formerly used for a slightly thinner book). The binding is an interesting example of a spine reinforced with a horizontal metal rod at the central sewing support to give more support and prevent the bookblock from becoming concaved or developing sharp kinks; probably bound in Flanders. [88]; [88] ll. Full description