Asher Rare Books

Estienne's monumental Bible

[BIBLE]. ESTIENNE, Robert (editor). Biblia breves in eadem annotationes, ex doctis ...
Including:
- Hebraica, Chaldaea, Graecáque & Latina nomina virorum ...
- Index rerum et sentiarum quae in Veteris & novi testamenti libris continentur.
Paris, Roberti Stephani [= Robert Estienne], 1532. 4 parts in 1 volume. Folio. With Estienne's large olive-tree device on the general title page and the divisional titles of parts 3 (interpretatio) and 4 (index), a woodcut decorative border around the word "Biblia" on the general title page, and 79 decorated metalcut (criblé) initials. Modern gold-tooled brown calf, with the title lettered in gold on the spine, red sprinkled edges. [10], 388; 94; 37; 57, [1], [1 blank] ll. Full description

€ 8,500

Bibles, Liturgy & Devotional Works Early Printing - 16th century Religion (16th Century)

Latin New Testament printed by Plantin, in an attractive binding with elaborately gauffered edges

[BIBLE - NEW TESTAMENT - LATIN]. Novum Jesu Christi Testamentum.
Antwerp, Christophe Plantin, 1564[-1565].
With: (2) [BIBLE - ALPHABETICAL LIST OF BIBLICAL NAMES AND PLACES]. Hebraea, Chaldaea, Graeca, et Latina nomina virorum, mulierum, populorum, idolorum, urbium, fluviorum, montiu[m], caeterorumq.; locorum quae in Bebliis sparsa leguntur ... cum Latina interpretatione: additis etiam Bibliorum locis in quibus ita scripta legu[n]tur: qua in re interpretationem quae in Bibliis Compluti excusis erat ....
Antwerp, Christophe Plantin, 1565. 2 works in 1 volume, the 1st in 2 parts. 16mo (11.2 x 7.2 cm). With Plantins woodcut compasses device on both title pages ("Labore et constantia"), with woodcut decorated initials throughout the first work (and 1 in the second). Hebrew and Greek types in 2nd work. Contemporary blind- and gold-tooled calf, each board with a doubler frame of blind double fillets with a small gold fleuron in the centre and a gold curl at each corner of the inner frame, gilt and elaborately gauffered edges, including floral decorations and six-pointed stars. 316, [68]; [111] [1 blank] ll. Full description

€ 2,950

Bibles, Liturgy & Devotional Works Early Printing - 16th century Plantin Press Religion (16th Century)

Bishop Pierre-Daniel Huet's psalmbook with his annotations

[BIBLE - PSALMBOOK]. PSALTERION. Prophetou kai Basileoos tou David [in Greek type] - Davidis Regis ac Prophetae Psalmorum Liber. Ad exemplar Complutense.
Antwerp, Christophe Plantin, 1584. 16mo (11,8 x 8 cm). With woodcut printer's device on the title page, the text is partially printed in Greek. Late 17th-century dark brown calf, with gold-stamped coat of arms of Pierre-Daniel Huet on both covers and gold-tooled dubbel-lined borders on covers and spine, (faded) red speckled edges. 267, [13] pp. Full description

€ 3,500

Bibles, Liturgy & Devotional Works Early Printing - 16th century Greek & Non-Western Types Plantin Press Religion (16th Century)

First edition of the so-called Golden Bible, by the Augsburg Benedictine Abbeys printing office
set in nearly the first (and the best early) roman printing type north of the Alps
Robert Proctors copy, with generous margins

[BINDO GUERRI of Siena] with a prologue by Antonius de RAMPIGOLLIS. Reportatorium Biblie aureum [= Biblia aurea].
[Augsburg], [printing office of the Abbey of Saints Ulrich and Afra], [in the period 1473 to early 1475]. Chancery (Foolscap) folio (28 x 22 cm). With the title in a note following the prologue, at the foot of the first page (and abbreviated at the end of the book), a 2-page alphabetical table of contents and the main text comprising 139 entries.
Burgundy goatskin morocco (ca. 1890?). With the armorial bookplate of Robert Proctor. [231], [1 blank] pp. Full description

€ 16,500

Bibles, Liturgy & Devotional Works Book History, Printing & Typography Catholicism & Eastern Orthodox Church Early Printing - 15th century Germany

With important provenance

BOCKENBERG, Pieter Cornelisz. Catalogus & brevis historia pontificum Ultraiectensium. Item catalogus & brevis historia antistitum Egmondanorum.
Leiden, Jan Jacobsz. Paets, 1586 (Colophon: 'Extant Goudae, apud Leonardum Theodori Librarium, ad pontem Hornensem'). Small 8vo. [16], 99, [12] [1 blank] pp. Full description

€ 1,500

Catholicism & Eastern Orthodox Church Church History & Missions Netherlands Religion (16th Century)

An elusive author calling for Christian unity

BODIUS, Hermann. Unio dissidentium, omnibus unitatis & pacis amatoribus utilissima, ex praecipuis Ecclesiae Christianae doctoribus ... selecta, & iam denuo aucta & locupletata ...
(Colophon:) Cologne, Johann Gymnich, September 1531. 8vo (15.1 x 10.1 cm). With a woodcut title frame. Contemporary blind-tooled calf. [32], 539, [4], [1 blank] pp. Full description

€ 2,750

Church History & Missions Early Printing - 16th century Humanism & Reformation Religion (16th Century)

First German edition of sermons on human actions
and mainly the Quattuor Novissima - the Four Last Things

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

€ 6,500

Bibles, Liturgy & Devotional Works Early Printing - 16th century Religion (16th Century)

Early incunable from Augsburg with wonderful initials, a famous exegetic work by Holzinger who influenced Dante's "Purgatorio"

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

€ 17,500

Catholicism & Eastern Orthodox Church Early Printing - 15th century

1511 Paris book of hours printed on vellum, with 17 large & 27 small illustrations plus more in the borders:
only known complete copy of this edition, possibly from the great Harleian Library

[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

€ 25,000

Almanacs Bindings Book of Hours, Missals & Prayerbooks Early Printing - 16th century Religion (16th Century)

A 16th-century poem that encourages the Holy Roman Emperor to start a war with the Ottomans

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