Early Printing & Manuscripts / History, Law & Philosophy

CARTARI, Vincenzo [& Antoine du VERDIER]. Imagines deorum, qui ab antiquis colebantur: in quibus simulacra, ritus, caerimoniae, magnaque, ex parte veterum religio explicatur: olim a Vincentio Chartario Rhegiensi ex variis auctoribus in unum collectae, atque in Italica lingua expositae: nunc vero ad communem omnium utilitatem Latino sermone ab Ant. Verderio domino Vallisprivatae, &c. expressae, atque in meliorem ordinem digestae. Quibus acc. duo indices: prior, imaginum: posterior, rerum atque verborum, quae toto libro continentur.
Lyons, Etienne Michel (colophon: printed by Guichard Julliéron), 1581 (colophon: August). 4to. With Michel's woodcut publishers device on the title-page (an Ottoman man and a fruit tree with motto "virtutes sibi invicem adhaerent"), a full-page woodcut portrait of Antoine du Verdier, a small woodcut illustration and 89 beautiful large woodcuts (13 x 9.5 cm) of classical mythological gods and heroes in the text. Modern sheepskin parchmen. [8], 359, [57] pp. Full description

CENTENO, Amaro. Historia de cosas del oriente primera y segunda parte...
Cordoba, Diego Galván, 1595. 2 parts in 1 volume. 4to. With a woodcut coat of arms on the title-page and the divisional title-page for part 2, an elaborate Jesuit woodcut IHS vignette on the verso of the last leaf above the colophon and woodcut initials throughout, with a few typographical or woodcut tail-pieces, al text is set within a simple woodcut frame. Later tree marbled sheepskin. [8], 138, [4] ll. Full description

[CHARLES V, Emperor]. Les ordonnances[,] statutes, & edictz, que lEmpereur Charles cinquies. de ce nom, tousjours auguste, a faict publier en la ville de Bruxelles ...
Brussels, Marck Martens; Antwerp, "en l[]escu dArtoys, sur le Pont de Chambre" [= the printing office of Jacob van Liesvelt], [privilege dated from Brussels, 7 October 1540]. 4° (20.5 × 15 cm). Title-page with an elaborate large woodcut showing the Imperial coat-of-arms. 20th-century half sheepskin parchment, boards covered with 2 leaves from Froben & Petris 2° Latin Bible, Basel, 1498, red edges. [20] pp. Full description

CURTIUS RUFUS, Quintus. Quintus Curtius. [De rebus Alexandri Regis Macedonum libri III-X.]
Venice, heirs of Aldo I Manuzio & Andrea I Torresano, July 1520. 8vo. With Aldos woodcut anchor and dolphin device on the title-page, repeated on the verso of the otherwise blank last leaf (each with letterpress "AL ... DUS" flanking the device). Set in Aldos famous italic (with upright capitals), the worlds first italic printing type, first used in 1501. Richly blind-tooled brown goatskin morocco (early 20th-century with the older bookplate moved to the new paste-down?). [8], 170, [2] 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

[PAMPHLET - DUTCH-SPANISH WAR]. Een goedt advijs, opt stuck vande vrede ende oorloghe in dese Nederlanden: by een edel-man ende oprecht lief-hebber syns vader-landts ende der ghemeyner ruste, aen eenen synen goeden vriendt, by forme van missive, overgheschreven. Na de copie.
[Delft], [Aelbrecht Hendricksz.], 1584. 4to. Woodcut interlaced capital 'o' on title, woodcut headpiece. (14, 2 blank) pp. Full description

[DUTCH WAR OF INDEPENDENCE]. Abschrifft und gruendlicher Bericht eines schreibens der Ritterschafft, Edlen, und Stett, in Holland, in namen und von wegen der Stende derselben Landtschafft, an die Herren, welche das ampt aller Stend der Niderland tragen: Sie darinnen vermanet, dass sie einhelliglich (der Koeniglichen Man von Spannien zu gutem) dieselbige Land, auss des Hertzogen von Alba, und seiner Spanniart gewalt und Tiranney, widerumb zu ihrer alten Welfart und Freiheit helffen bringen.
[Germany?], 1574. 4to. With a woodcut arabesque ornament on the title-page. Modern boards. [37], [3 blank] pp. Full description

ERASMUS, Desiderius. De duplici copia verborum ac rerum commentarii duo.
(Colophon: Mainz, Johannes Schoeffer, August 1521). With title in woodcut architectural border; 6 large, beautiful woodcut initials. With 1 initial coloured by hand.
With: (2) ERASMUS, Desiderius. Parabolae sive similia.
(Colophon: Basle, Johannes Froben, July 1521). With title in an elaborate woodcut border, first page of the dedicatory letter by Erasmus to Petrus Aegidius on back of title-page with a border made of woodcut strips, Froben's large woodcut device on the last page, and 2 decorative woodcut initials. 2 works in 1 volume. 8vo. German contemporary richly blind-tooled calf, in a panel design. The central panel on each board is filled with dozens of impressions of 3 floral stamps, 1 on the front board and 2 on the back. [16], 247, [1 blank]; 191, [1] pp. Full description

FON, René de la (pseudonym of Louis RICHEOME). Response de Rene de la Fon pour les religieux de la Compagnie de Jesus. Au playdoyé de Simon Marion en l'arrest donné contre iceux le 16. Octobre 1597.
Villefranche, Guillaume Grenier, 1599. 8vo. With a small vignette on the title page built up from typographical ornaments and 2 headpieces built up from typographical ornaments. Later vellum with leather ties. "238" [= 239], [1 blank] pp. Full description

FRANCK, Sebastian. Werelt-boeck, spieghel ende beeltenisse des gheheelen aerdtbodems, ...
The Hague, Albrecht Heyndricxz., 1595. Folio. 17th-century parchment, new endpapers. CXXXIIII, [4] ll. Full description