Dr. Jörn Günther • Antiquariat
www.guenther-rarebooks.com

CONTENTS

Illuminated manuscripts

  1. Canones conciliorum, written by an insular scribe,
    Northern Italy, c. 775
  2. Psalter, so-called Bernwardpsalter,
    Germany, Hildesheim, c. 1020
  3. Gospel Lectionary, Byzantium,
    Constantinople,c. 1100
  4. St Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos, Upper
    Austria, Lambach Abbey, second half 12th century
  5. Vita Christi, Life of Christ and of the Virgin,
    Northern England,York, c.1190-1200,
    and East Anglia, Norfolk, c.1480-90
  6. Antiphonary, illuminated choirbook, Italy,Venice
    (San Marco), c. 1250 (between 1238 and 1264)
  7. Psalter and biblia latina with the interpretation
    of the Hebrew names, France, Lorraine, Metz, c. 1250
  8. Psalter for the use of Brussels, Northern France,
    Paris, c. 1260
  9. Biblia latina with the interpretations of
    the Hebrew names, Southern France,Toulouse,
    last quarter of the 13th century
  10. Psalter, illuminiated for Gui de Dampierre,
    Southern Netherlands, Bruges, c. 1280
  11. Speculum humanae salvationis, illuminated
    with pen-and-ink drawings by Magister Konrad,
    Austria, before 1386
  12. Book of hours, use of Chartres, illuminated by
    the Bedford workshop, France, Paris, c. 1400-10
  13. Psalter, Spain, Barcelona, shortly after 1400
    and c. 1440-50
  14. Book of hours, use of Rome, illuminated by
    Pseudo-Jacquemart, France, Paris, c. 1410
  15. The so-called Wardington Hours, hours of
    the Passion, illuminated by the Bedford workshop,
    France, Paris, c. 1410 and 1430
  16. Wirnt von Grafenberg, Wigalois (manuscript k),
    illustrated by the circle of the Workshop of 1418
    and of Diebold Lauber,Alsace, c. 1420-30
  17. I.Thomas de Chobham, Summa de poenitentia,
    dat. 1422; II. Stephan Palecz, Utilia contra errantes;
    III. Johannes Andreae, Processus iudicalis – et al.;
    Austria, Seitenstetten, c. 1422
  18. Joachim di Fiore Vaticinia sive Prophetiae
    et Imagines Summorum Pontificum,
    illustrated by the workshop of Lorenzo
    di Pietro ‘Il Vecchietta’, Benvenuto di Giovanni,
    Italy, Siena, c. 1450 and c. 1464
  19. Bruder Philipp, Marienleben
    and other texts, Upper Rhine, c. 1450
  20. German prayerbook with metalcuts, Germany,
    Cologne and Tyrol, Diocese of Brixen,
    dated 1458
  21. Book of hours, use of Paris, illuminated by
    the Master of Jacques de Luxembourg, France,
    Paris, c. 1460-70
  22. Book of hours, use of Rome, illuminated by the
    Master of Marguerite de Liederkerke, Flanders,
    Hainault, Mons or Valenciennes, c. 1500
  23. Croy-Arenberg Book of Hours, use of Sarum,
    with miniatures by the Master of Sir George
    Talbot, the Master of the First Prayer Book of
    Maximilian and the Master of the David Scenes
    in the Grimani Breviary, Flanders, Ghent,
    1505 and c. 1510-20
  24. Berault Stuart (Bernard Stewart),
    Traité sur l’art de la guerre, Northern France, Paris,
    second quarter 16th century
  25. Battista Agnese, Portolan Atlas, Italy,Venice,
    signed and dated 5 February 1544


    26. Early Prints

  26. Nativity, Single-leaf print, Southern Germany,
    c. 1440
  27. The Good Sheperd – ihesus xpristus,
    Single-leaf print, Southern Germany,
    West-Swabian, c. 1460-70
  28. Block-book – Ars Memorandi per figuras
    Evangelistarum, first print of first edition,
    Southern Germany, Nuremberg, c. 1470
  29. Block-book – Der Antichrist und die fünfzehn Zeichen
    Germany, Nuremberg: Hans Briefmaler 1472,
    second edition, i.e. Hans Sporer, 1470
  30. Celestial vision at Constantinople. Kunt und
    wissennt sey allermeniglich das ein sölich geschicht
    unnd erschreckliches erschein gesehen ist worden hinter
    Canstantinopel ..., Single leaf print, Southern
    Germany, Nuremberg c. 1491
  31. Biblia Latina – A single leaf,Mainz: Johann
    Gutenberg and Johann Fust,‘c. 1454/55’; rather 1452-1454
  32. Psalterium Benedictum Congregationis Bursfeldensis
    – A single leaf, Mainz: Johann Fust
    and Peter Schöffer, 29 August 1459
  33. I.Thomas de Aquino. Summa de articulis fidei,
    Mainz: Printer of the Catholicon before 1460
    or Peter Schöffer c. 1469
    II. Matthaeus de Cracovia. Dialogus rationis
    et conscientiae de frequenti usu Communionis,
    Mainz: see above, c. 1469;
    III.Antoninus Florentinus. Confessionale:
    Defecerunt.With: Johannes Chrysostomus. Sermo
    de poenitentia, Cologne: Ulrich Zell, c. 1470
  34. Johannes Balbus, Catholicon, Mainz: printer of
    the Catholicon, probably Gutenberg workshop
    1460, c. 1472, or 1469
  35. Rudimentum Novitiorum, Lubeck: Lucas Brandis,
    5 August 1475
  36. Speculum humanae salvationis, German:
    ein spiegel der menschlichen behaltnisze,
    Basel: Bernhard Richel, 31 August 1476
  37. Conrad von Megenberg, Das buch der Natur,
    Augsburg: Johann Bämler, 20 August 1481
  38. Auslegung – Messe singen oder lesen wer
    das thun sol, wenn, wie oder wo, Nuremberg:
    Friedrich Creussner, not after 1482
  39. Jacobus de Theramo, Belial. Cy commence le proces
    de Belial a l’encontre de Ihesus. Lyon, Mathias Huss:
    19 May 1486
  40. Compilation of ten French
    literary incunabula, Paris, 1488-c. 95, among them Olivier
    de la Marche, Le Chevalier Délibéré. Paris: Guy Marchand
    or Antoine Caillaut for Antoine Vérard,
    8 August 1488
  41. Olivier de la Marche. Le Chevalier Délibéré,
    Gouda, printer of the Chevalier délibéré,
    Collaciebroeders, after 31 October 1489
  42. Petrus de Crescentiis, Ruralia commoda.
    In commodum ruralium cum figuris libri duodecim,
    Speyer: Peter Drach, not before 1493
  43. Alanus de Rupe, Von dem psalter unnd Rosen
    krancz unser lieben frauen.Wie man den beten sol,
    Augsburg: Anton Sorg, 1492
  44. Der Doten dantz mit figuren. Clage und
    Antwort schon von allen staten der welt,
    Mainz: Jacob Meydenbach, c. 1492
  45. Fiore di virtù. Questa sie una utilissima operetta
    acada uno fidel christiano chiamata fior de virtu,Venice:
    Matteo Capcasa di Codeca, 15 January 1493
  46. Christophorus Columbus, De insulis nuper
    in mari Indico inventis, and Carolus Verardus,
    Historia Baetica. In laudem Serenissimi
    Ferdinandi Hispaniarum regis Bethicae & regni
    Granatae obsidio, victoria & triumphus,
    Basel: Johann Bergmann von Olpe, 1494
  47. Scriptores Astronomici veteres: Julius Firmicus
    Maternus, Mathesis and other Greek and Roman
    astronomical texts,Venice:Aldus Manutius, 1499
  48. a: La dance macabre des hommes, Paris,
    widow of Jehan Treperel and Jehan Jehannot,
    c. 1512-22 234

     b: La dance macabre des femmes toutes
    hystories & augmentee de nouveau, Paris,
    Jehan Treperel (II), c. 1525-32
  49. Martin Luther, Das newe testament deutzsch,
    Wittenberg: Melchior Lotter, 1524
  50. Aurelius Theodosius Macrobius, In somnium
    Scipionis libri II. Saturnaliorum libri VII.
    Basel: Johannes Herwagen the Elder, 1535

    Key to bibliographical references

A leaf from the 42-line Gutenberg-Bible – the first book ever printed from movable type

31 Biblia Latina – A single leaf

[Mainz: Johann Gutenberg and Johann Fust, ‘c. 1454/55’; rather 1452-54?]. First edition of the Latin Bible.

2°, 390 x 285 mm. Leaf 8 of quire 7 (= vol. I, leaf 68). Paper with bull’s head watermark. – Two columns of 42 lines.Textura.With rubricated headlines (lombard capitals in red and blue alternating), capital strokes, and a 2-line chapter initial L. – Excellent condition, no worming, slightly corrugated margins, almost no browning, inner margin strengthened.

PROVENANCE: 1. From the incomplete copy of Maria Elisabeth Augusta von Sulzbach (1721-1794), wife of Karl Theodor, Electoral Prince of the Palatinate, subsequently Electoral Prince of Bavaria (1724-1799). 2. Mannheim Court Library. After Karl Theodor’s death to 3. Munich, Royal Library, sold as a duplicate in 1832. 4. Later on in the possession of Robert Curzon, 14th baron Zouche (1810-1873) by descent to 5. Baroness Zouche of Haryngworth. 6. Sotheby’s, 9th November 1920 (Zouche sale), n° 70. 7. Joseph Sabin, sold to 8. Gabriel Wells, who broke up the copy, dispersing it in single leaves or larger fragments. 9. Private collection, Germany.

TEXT: This leaf contains the text of Numbers 7.38-8.12; Numbers 8.1 beginning with red initial L: Locutus est dominus ad moysen, dicens. Schneider suggests that Gutenberg probably used a 14thcentury vulgate bible manuscript as a model for his B 42, very much like those that were common at Paris university (Schneider, C. 2000, p. 197). Thus, Gutenberg offered his clients the version of the bible most widely used throughout Europe.

PRINT: The Gutenberg Bible, first edition of the Vulgata and the first substantial printed book of the Western World, is a work of art whose majestic craftsmanship has never been surpassed. It must have been finished in 1454-55, according to a rubricator’s note in the Mazarin copy in Paris, but there is recent evidence that printing began in 1452 and was finished in late 1453 or early 1454 (Meuthen 1982).The Bible is printed in two volumes, 1284 pages, set in two columns of type (designed in a later Gothic textura, as traditionally used for liturgic texts). After the number of lines per column this edition is named the 42-line Bible, in order to distinguish it from the 36-line Bible, which appeared a few years later.

PRINTER: Other technicians had also been searching for mechanical means to produce script, but only Johann Gutenberg (c. 1397-1468) resolved and synthesized the innumerable technical problems into an ingenious, workable method that has withstood the test of time; so much so that the various processes, manual operations, and the presses themselves became standard practice for the next 350 years. The heart of the invention of printing is the principle of movable type. As a goldsmith, Gutenberg was familiar with the cutting of punches, and matrices, with moulds for casting and metal alloys, etc. For book printing this meant the capacity to put each letter of the alphabet on an individual tiny piece of metal. Gutenberg’s font consisted of about 290 different characters, among them 47 capitals, 63 lowercase letters, and many ligatures, abbreviations, punctuation marks, etc.These type characters were then set together by hand in unlimited combinations of words and pages, printed from, re-distributed after printing, and used again and again in subsequent work. Each of these bits of metal had to be precision-made to align letter for letter, to be capable of locking for press, and to be of sufficient hardness to withstand many thousands of impressions, printed and reprinted. Gutenberg’s presses, developed for sustained, heavy-duty printing, were no doubt modelled on the wine presses of his wine-growing region. We know from documents, the most important of which is the Helmaspergersche Notariatsinstrument of November 1455, that in 1450 and 1452 Gutenberg borrowed heavily from the financier Johann Fust, who, with the second loan, invoked a partnership ‘in the production of books’ (“werk der bücher”). Gutenberg was unable to repay the loans of 1600 German guilders before he could finish and sell the Bibles then in press. Fust foreclosed in 1455 and evidently took ownership of many of those possessions Gutenberg had spent his lifetime to acquire. Fust then took into partnership Gutenberg’s best employee, Peter Schöffer of Gernsheim, who later married Fust’s daughter, and with these assets went on to become one of the great printers and a successful publisher.

RARITY: The Gutenberg Bible was printed in an edition of, probably, 35 copies on vellum and 150 copies on paper. 48 copies have survived, only 20 of them complete (cf. White 2000), in addition c. 65 single leafs and fragments are kept in 30 collections worldwide (according to ISTC).

LITERATURE: Hain 1826, 3031; BMC I, p. 17; De Ricci 1911, no. 34; GW 4201 (“about 1454/55, not after August 1456”); Goff 1964, B-526; Meuthen 1982; Carter/Muir 21983, no. 1; exh. cat. Boston 2000, no. 63; Schneider, C. 2000;White 2000; ISTC ib00526000. Facsimiles: Leipzig 1913-1914, commented by P. Schwenke in 1923; New York 1960; Munich 1979, commented by S. Corsten, I. Hubay and others.