Book History, Education, Learning & Printing / Bindings

[TORINUS (THORER), Albanus (ed).]. De re medica huic volumini insunt...
[Colophon: Basel, Andreas Cratander, 1528]. Folio. With woodcut printer's device on title-page, repeated on final page, 2 pages with 4-piece decorative woodcut borders and numerous woodcut decorated initials. 18th-century half calf, with marbled paper in a tree pattern on sides, gold-tooled spine with the coat of arms of the Russian Tsars. [12], 125, [1] ll. Full description

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

TOSTATUS (TOSTADO DE MADRIGAL), Alfonso. Super Leviticum in sensu litterali nova et hactenus abscondita a se edita commentaria.
(Colophon: Venice, Petrus Liechtenstein, 1529). With title-page printed in red and black with a large woodcut containing the coats of arms of the Emperor Charles V (Charles I of Spain) and two bishops (the author and perhaps a relative), leaf 2 with a woodcut of the author writing at his desk, with his arms, and a woodcut initial with the other bishop's arms inside the letter, the arms in the initial and some lines of text printed in red. Printed in two columns.
With: (2) TOSTATUS, Alfonso. Opus super Deuteronomium.
(Colophon: Venice, Petrus Liechtenstein, 1528). With title-page printed in red and black, leaf 1 with a woodcut of the author writing at his desk, with his arms (not the same woodcut as in ad 1), and a woodcut initial with the other bishop's arms as in ad 1. Printed in two columns. 2 works in 1 volume. Folio. Contemporary blind- and gold-tooled tanned sheepskin over wooden boards; each board in a panel design with 2 (on the back board 3) different vine rolls, rules, and on the front board a central medaillon depicting Bathsheba kneeling before King David playing his harp, and a half dozen separate stamps, with author and title at the head, "Thostati Super Leviti et Deuteronomy" and the binding date MDXXXII (1532); blind-tooled spine, remnants of brass anchor plates on the back board (for straps?), catch plates on the front board lacking. 249, [1 blank]; [1], 120 ll. Full description

VERHAEREN, Émile. Les plaines.
Paris, Henri Piazza (colophon: printed by G. Kadar, Paris, 15 February 1934). 4to (23 x 16 cm). With an original watercolour drawing (10 x 10 cm), 35 colour collotype facsimiles of watercolour drawings (1 as frontispiece, the others in the text), some finished by hand, and 70 plates repeating the 35 illustrations: once in black and white and once in colour, all by Henri Cassiers. Contemporary (1934) gold-blocked brown morocco by George Canape and Georges Corriez in Paris, each board with an unidentified (prince's or duke's?) coat of arms in the centre in a frame of rose branches (the roses in red), spine with author and title in gold and rose branches in red and gold, gold fillets on board edges, turn-ins in gold with red roses, decorated cloth doublures and free endleaves (yellow background with multi-coloured flowers all woven), gilt edges. 174, [2] pp. plus 70 plates and 1 watercolour drawing. Full description

WAGENAAR, Jan. Vaderlandsche historie, vervattende de geschiedenissen der nu Vereenigde Nederlanden, inzonderheid die van Holland, van de vroegste tyden af. Uit de geloofwaardigste schryvers en egte gedenkstukken samengesteld. Met konstplaaten en kaarten opgehelderd.
Amsterdam, Isaak Tirion, 1752-1759. 21 volumes. 8vo. With an engraved frontispiece, 6 large folding maps, 41 folding engraved plates, mainly designed and engraved by S. Fokke and 82 engraved portraits, mainly drawn by A. Schouman after original paintings by other artists and engraved by J. Houbraken. Contemporary, uniform gold-tooled vellum by the so-called Parrot Bindery in Utrecht (except that vols. 19-21 differ slightly). Possibly a prize binding for the Latin school in Amersfoort. A complete list of contents is available upon request. Full description