Early Printing & Manuscripts

DONI, Anton Francesco. Disegno ..., partito in piu ragionamenti, ne quali si tratta della scoltura et pittura; de colori, de getti, de modegli, con molte cose appartenenti a quest' arti: & si termina la nobiltà dell' una et dell' altra professione. ...
Venice, Gabriele Giolito de Ferrari, (colophon: February) 1549. Small 8vo (16 x 10 cm). With the imprint in the base of an elaborate woodcut on the title-page, with Ferrari's motto, initials and phoenix device, a different woodcut phoenix device on last page, and 21 woodcut pictorial initials (3 series) plus 1 repeat. Italian sheepskin parchment (ca. 1700?). 63, [1] ll. Full description

DRAKE, Francis (subject). Brevis & fida narratio, et continuatio rerum omnium a Drako et Norreysio (post ex Occidentalibus Insulis, reditum) in sua expeditione Portugallensi singulis diebus gestarum.
Frankfurt am Main, Paul Brachfeldt, 1590. 4to. With the woodcut arms on the title-page, the upper related to that of Queen Elizabeth of England and the lower that of King Philip I of Portugal (Philip II of Spain), each supported by putti, a full-page woodcut standing soldier with sword and spear, perhaps intended as Francis Drake. Gold-tooled green morocco (2nd half of 19th century). [2], 29, [1 blank] pp. Full description

[DU BARTAS, Guillaume de Salluste]. La divina settimana: tradotta di rima Francese in verso sciolto Italiano.
Tours, Giametto Metaieri (Jamet Mettayer), 1592. 12mo. With the title with in a border, built up from cast fleurons, and some woodcut initials and headpieces. Contemporary limp sheepskin parchment. [6], 152 ll. Full description

DUBOIS, Jacques (Jacobus SYLVIUS), translated by André CAILLE. La pharmacopee. Qui est la maniere de bien choisir & preparer les simples, & de bien faires les compositions: despartie en trois livres ...
Lyon, Louis Cloquemin, 1580. 16mo (12.5 x 8 cm). With Cloquemin's woodcut device on the title-page. Recased in contemporary(?) sheepskin parchment. [26], 686, [6], [2 blank] pp. Full description

DU BOYS (SYLVIUS), Jean (Joannis de BOIS). In methodum miscendorum medicamentorum, quae in quotidiano sunt usu observationes, ex Graecic, Arabibus, & Neotericis.
Paris, Jaques Kerver, 1572. 8vo. With Kerver's woodcut device on title-page, depicting a unicorn with the family's arms, and a large cast ornament on the otherwise blank last page. Contemporary limp vellum, traces of ties. [8], 134, [10] ll. Full description

DUDLEY, Robert, Earl of Leicester. Placcaet op tstuck vande convoyen (mitsgaders licenten, ...) ghedaen ... by zyne Excellentie, tot Utrecht den laetsten Aprilis, anno. M. D. LXXXVI.
Utrecht, widow of Coenraet Henricksz, 1586.
With: (2) DUDLEY, Robert, Earl of Leicester. [Incipit:] ¶ Robert, Grave van Leycester ..., allen ... die deze ... sullen sien oft hooren lesen saluyt. Alsoo ...: so ist dat wy ... goet ... geacht hebben, alle de ... lysten vanden goedere[n] gaende naer ... vreemde lande[n], ..., te redigeren en[de] dresseren in ee[n] sijste[! = lijste], ....
(Colophon: Utrecht, printed by Hendrick van Borculo, [1586]). 2 works sewn together. 4to. Disbound. [8]; [17], [1 blank] pp. Full description

DUNCAN, Martin. Anabaptisticae haereseos confutatio, et vere Christiani baptismi, ac potissimum paedobaptismatis assertio in duos libros divisa, quorum prior veram Christiani baptismi energiam declarat, posterior paedobaptismatis Christianam institutionem ex sacris literis demonstrat, contra Mennonis Simonis Frisii Anabaptisticae pravitatis summi antistitis verulentas blasphemias.
[part 2 title:] Liber posterior de paedobaptismate seu parvulorum baptismo, contra Menonis Simonis Frisii Anabaptisticae pravitatis summi antistitis verulentas blasphemias.
Antwerp, Johannes Gravius, 1549. 2 parts in 1 volume. 8vo. With printer's device on the title of the second part, many interesting woodcut initials. 17th-century boards covered with marbled paper. [15], [1 blank], 227 ll. Full description

DUPUIS (PUTEANUS), Guillaume. De medicamentorum quomodocunque purgantium facultatibus, nusquam anteà neque dictis, neque per ordinem digestis libri duo ...
Lyon, Macé Bonhomme, 1552. 4to. With a woodcut device on the title-page no doubt made for this edition (showing Hypocrates and Galenus, with motto, "In omnem terram exivit doctrina eorum"), finely executed arabesque woodcut headpieces and numerous woodcut initials with pictorial decoration (4 series, the two largest especially fine). Contemporary limp vellum with remnants of ties. [8], 179, [1] pp. Full description

DURAND, Guillaume (Guillelmus DURANDUS or DURANTI). Rationale divinorum officiorum.
Strasbourg, [Johann Prüss], 1486. Chancery folio (32.5 x 22 cm). Printed in 2 columns, with 48 lines to the column. Set in 2 sizes of rotunda gothic types, Prüss types 2 (180G) and 3 (90G), with spaces left (some with and some without printed guide letters) for manuscript initials (1 8-line, 2 7-line, 4 6-line, 3 5-line and numerous 3- and 4-line). From the beginning to h3r these spaced have been filled in with manuscript lombardic initials in red and the text has been rubricated (the first fifth of the book). Contemporary blind-tooled pigskin over wooden (beechwood?) boards by an Augsburg bindery (Eindbanddatenbank workshop w002998, active ca. 1488-1497). [3], 272 ll. Full description

DÜRER, Albrecht. [with Johannes STABIUS and Konrad HEINFOGEL]. [Imagines coeli septentrionales cum duodecim imaginibus zodiaci].
[ca. 1515]. Map and leaf size ca. 43.5 x 42.5 cm. Woodcut map of the northern hemisphere in its second state, with Dürer's monogram. The map depicts all known constellations in the northern hemisphere in great detail, resulting in an intricate map in which all constellations can be clearly identified upon close inspection. According to Ptolemaic tradition the twelve signs of the Zodiac are displayed on the northern hemisphere and are to be read counter-clockwise. That is, as seen from space, or as they would appear on a celestial globe. The constellation figures are therefore shown from their back view. Dürer decorated the four corners of the northern chart by portraits of four ancient authorities, dressed in their assumed national dress, each holding a celestial globe: Aratus representing the Greek, Ptolemy the Egyptian, Al-Sufi the Islamic, and Marcus Manilius the Roman tradition of astronomy.
Mounted in a gold-coloured frame (67.5 x 67.5 cm), in white passe-partouts with a gilt line directly framing the map on the inside of the passe-partouts. Full description