First Latin edition of Basil the Great’s De legendis antiquorum libris, translated by Leonardo Bruni and printed by Johann Zainer in Ulm, 1478. A foundational text of Christian humanism, exceptionally rare.
One of the pleasures of the antiquarian book trade is encountering books whose significance is not immediately apparent. The four volumes illustrated below are not necessarily the most famous books in my stock, nor the most expensive. Yet each represents... Continue Reading →
A catalogue of 18 incunabula, Manny annotated, in contemporary bindings, rubricated and two signed by the rubricator in four places!
A remarkable 1497 Koberger edition of Juvenal preserving one of the most complete surviving records of early humanist reading. Retaining its original Rhenish binding, the volume was extensively annotated by a German scholar active around 1511, whose notes reveal engagement with Erasmus, Poliziano, Crinito, Reisch, Roman antiquities, and classical literature. Marginalia extending into the gutters demonstrate annotation before binding, while institutional stamps, collector bookplates, and later scholarly notes document more than five centuries of continuous use. Not merely an incunable of Juvenal, but a rare witness to the history of reading itself.
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