Early Printing & Manuscripts

BOETHIUS, Anicius Manlius. Di consolatione philosophica volgare, nuovamente revisto & di molti errori porgato opera al tutto dignissima eccellente & bella.
(Colophon:) Venice, Melchior Sessa, December 1531. 8vo. With the title and leaf 1 printed within a border made up of typographical ornament, and 6 decorated woodcut initials, of which one historiated. 17th-century gold tooled green morocco. [8], 104 ll. Full description

BOISSARD, Jean Jacques. Theatrum vitae humanae ...
Metz, printed by Abraham Faber for Theodor de Bry in Frankfurt am Main, 1596. 4to. With the title set in an elaborate engraved frame of ornaments and illustrations representing the four stages of human life (birth, marriage, active life, and death) with short bible verses below, a half-page engraved portrait of the author (on leaf é2r in the preliminaries), and 60 half-page engraved emblems in the text, engraved by Theodor de Bry. Further with numerous woodcut decorated initials, head- and tail-pieces throughout. 17th-century vellum. [1], [1 blank], [14], 266 pp. Full description

BONAVENTURA (pseudo); [attributed to Durand of CHAMPAGNE]. Sermo[n]es quattuor novissimorum perutiles et nec[ess]arij. unu[m]que[m]q[ue] in devot[i]o[n]is ardore[m] dei q[uam] timore[m] [in]ducentes.
[Colophon: Cologne, Cornelius von Zierickzee, ca. 1502]. Small 8vo (ca. 12.5 x 10 cm). With a small woodcut illustration surrounded by woodcut border decorations on the title-page and two full-page woodcut illustrations in the text. The text is set in Gothic type. Later half vellum with marbled paper sides, blue edges. [2 blank], VII, [120] ll. Full description

BONAVENTURA (pseudo) [= Conradus de SAXONIA]. Speculum beate Marie virginis: compilatum ab humili fratre Bonauentura.
Augsburg, Anton Sorg, 1476. Folio (26.5 x 21.2 cm). Set in a Gothic letter in 40 lines to the page, printed in 1 column. Rubricated throughout. With a large Maiblumen woodcut-initial and 16 smaller initials (of which 11 hand-coloured in red). Modern vellum, with a manuscript title on the spine. [48] ll. Full description

BONNEFONS, Jean. Pancharis.
Lyon, Thomas Soubron, 1593. 2 parts in 1 volume. 12mo. With a large woodcut printer's device on the title page of the first part, and a smaller variant device on the title page of the second part, further with 5 woodcut headpieces, 3 woodcut tailpieces, 6 woodcut decorated initials, and a border made up of typographical materials around the colophon. With: DURAND, Gillis. Imitations du Latin de Iean Bonnefons: avec autres gayetez amoureuses, de l'invention de l'autheur.
Lyon, pour Thomas Soubron (colophon: Etienne Servain), 1593. 17th-century gold tooled brown calf. 68; 153, [1] pp. Full description

[BOOK OF HOURS]. [Book of Hours - use of Rouen].
Rouen, Normandy, France, ca. 1480. Small 4to (14.3 x 19.3 cm). Latin and French illuminated manuscript on vellum. Ruled in red ink for 14 lines per page (16 in the calendar). Gothic textura, major feasts in calendar in burnished gold, others alternately red or blue. Text pages illuminated with panel borders of flowers and plants on gold, and blue and gold stylised acanthus on a plain ground. Calendar has 24 small square miniatures set into panel borders; major text divisions marked by 12 large miniatures; 2 historiated initials; hundreds of smaller initials and line-fillers throughout. 18th-century French gold-tooled red calf over pasteboards, with the title lettered in gold on the spine, gilt edges, marbled endpapers. [160] ll. Full description

[BOOK OF HOURS]. Hore [= Horae beate Marie Virginis] secundum usum Romanum ad longum.
(colophon: Paris, Thomas Kees), [ca. 1511, with an almanac for the years 1511-1530]. 8vo (18 x 12 cm). Printed on vellum in red and black throughout, with illustrations printed from (mostly metal?) relief blocks: 17 nearly full-page plus 1 repeat, 27 small plus 2 repeats in the text, many additional small in the decorated border pieces that surround nearly every page. Dark brown gold- and blind-tooled goatskin morocco (ca. 1870?), signed "HARDY-MENNIL" in the foot of the front turn-in. [216] pp. Full description

BRANT, Sebastian. Ad divum Maximilianum Caesarem invictissimum conctosque Christiani nominis principes et populos, Nenia Sebastiani Brant, In Thurcarum nyciteria, cum arripiende in eosdem expeditionis exhortatione.
(Colophon:) Strasbourg, [Johann Knoblauch], 9 February 1518. 4to. With a small vignette built up from typographical ornaments on the title-page. 18th-century grey paper wrappers. [1], [1 blank], [5], [1 blank] pp. Full description

BRASAVOLA (BRASSAVOLA), Antonio Musa. Examen omnium electuariorum, pulverum, et confectionum.
Venice, Vincent Valgrisi, 1548. 8vo. With a woodcut device on title-page and a larger version on the last page. Later stiff paper wrappers. 140, [2] pp. Full description

BRASAVOLA (BRASSAVOLA), Antonio Musa. Examen omnium trochiscorum, unguentorum, ceratorum, emplastrorum, cataplasmatum, & collyriorum : quorum apud Ferrarienses pharmacopolas usus est : ...
Venice, (colophon: Lucas Antonius Juntas), 1551. 8vo. With a woodcut device on title-page. Contemporary limp vellum, restored. 296 ll. Full description