Asher Rare Books

First edition of the biography of Gaspar Berse, "the Dutch Xavier", in the original Latin

TRIGAULT, Nicolas. Vita Gasparis Barzaei...
Antwerp, J. Trognesius, 1610. 8vo. With a woodcut vignette on the title page, some woodcut ornamental head- and tailpieces, and some woodcut decorated initials. Modern vellum. [1], [1 blank], [12], [2 blank], 338, [20], [2 blank] pp. Full description

€ 9,500

Bibliography & Biography China India & Sri Lanka Jesuits Religion (17th Century)

Biography of Gaspar Berse, "the Dutch Xavier"

TRIGAULT, Nicolas. La vie du P. Gaspar Barzee Zelandois, de la Compagnie de Jesus. ... En la conqueste d'un Nouveau Monde à la foy Chrestienne, soubs les estandarts du bon Jesus, en l'Inde Orientale.
Douai, Noel Wardavoir, 1615. Small 8vo (14.5 x 9 cm). Contemporary limp vellum. [24], 444, [4] pp. Full description

€ 5,000

Bibliography & Biography Church History & Missions India & Sri Lanka Iran / Persia Jesuits Travel & Voyages Asia Travel & Voyages Southern Asia

First edition of Trithemius' most important pre-Reformation work

TRITHEMIUS, Johannes. De statu et ruina monastici ordinis.
[Mainz, Peter von Friedberg, after April 1493]. 4to. 20th-century quarter vellum, decorated paper sides. With the author, title, and place and date of publication in manuscript on the spine. [29], [1 blank] ll. Full description

€ 8,500

Catholicism & Eastern Orthodox Church Church History & Missions Early Printing - 15th century Germany

Utopian Ethiopia

URRETA, Luis de. Historia de la Sagrada Orden de Predicadores, en los remotos reynos de la Etiopia.
Valencia, Juan Chrysostomo Garriz, 1611. Small 4to (21 x 15 cm). With the woodcut arms of the Dominican order on title-page, and a variant version on the last page, and 3 woodcuts in text. Further with 24 decorated woodcut initials. Contemporary gold-tooled mottled calf, each board with the coat of arms of the French Seguier family and with the monogram PSMF (Pierre Seguier and his wife Madeleine Fabry) repeated 6 times on the spine. Rebacked (on recessed cords) with the original gold-tooled backstrip laid-down. [16], 410, [6] pp. Full description

€ 35,000

Arabian Peninsula & Gulf States Church History & Missions Eastern Mediterranean & Cyprus

The religious strife in the Dutch Republic, as experienced by a key participant

UYTENBOGAERT (WTENBOGAERT), Johannes. Johannis Uytenbogaerts leven, kerckelijcke bedieninghe ende zedighe verantwoordingh ... Tweeden druck, daer eenige stucken van nieuws by gedaen zijn, ende alles dat nodigh was, uyt het Latijnsch ende Fransch overgheset.
[No place, no publisher], 1646. 4to. With an engraved portrait of the author by Wilhelm Delff after Michiel van Mierevelt, with a 6-line verse by Caspar Barlaeus underneath. Contemporary vellum. [40], 451, [3], [2 blank] pp. Full description

€ 750

Netherlands Protestant Reformation

Collected works of an indicted Belgian canonist

VAN ESPEN, Zeger Bernard. Opera, quaecunque hactenus in lucem prodeunt, omnia. Tomus primus [-secundus] . Continens ... juris ecclesiastici universi.
Louvain, 1721. 2 volumes. Folio. With the title-pages printed in red and black. Contemporary mottled calf, richly gold-tooled spines. [30], 924, [39], [1 blank]; [4], 230, [14], [4], 400, [16], [8], 208, [22], [8], 90, [6], 28, [4], 57, [2], [1 blank], 18, [4], 30, [2 blank] pp. Full description

€ 750

Law & Politics Protestant Reformation

Rare mystic work, with 22 woodcuts by the gifted Pieter van der Borcht

[VERVOORT, Frans]. Dat vyants net, der booser wercken raet, visioenen, ende met alder sijnder verholender stricken, leerende hoe wi de werelt, den vyant, ende ons selven sullen sterven, kennen, ende leerende hoe wi die werelt, den vyant, ende ons selven sullen sterven, kennen, ende overwinnen.
Antwerp, Jan van Ghelen, (colophon: 1561). 8vo. With the title in a four-piece woodcut border by Pieter van den Borcht (with his initials at the foot), Jan van Ghelen's woodcut device on verso of last leaf, a full-page armorial view (dated 1552) on the last leaf, and 20 mostly full-page woodcut illustrations by Pieter van der Borcht in text. Modern half vellum. [88] ll. Full description

€ 6,000

Catholicism & Eastern Orthodox Church Early Printing - 16th century Religion (16th Century)

Pioneering work on Indian languages and society by an "unjustly forgotten" Indologist

VESDIN (VEZDIN), Filip (PAULINUS A SANCTO BARTHOLOMAEO). Viaggio alle Indie Orientali umiliato alla Santita di N. S. Papa Pio Sesto pontefice massimo ...
Rome, Antonio Fulgoni, 1796. 4to. With 12 engraved illustration plates (6 with 2 illustrations each to make 18 in total), engraved roundel portraits of Pope Pius VI (on the title-page) and the author (above the opening of the main text) and some small woodcut illustrations of "Indian hieroglyphs". Set in roman and italic types with occasional words in Greek, Arabic, East Syriac, Devanagari and more extensive texts in Malayalam, plus a Malabar song with a double staff made with built-up round-head music notes. 19th-century maroon half sheepskin. XX, 404 pp. Full description

€ 4,500

Arabic Printing & Calligraphy Church History & Missions India & Sri Lanka Language & Linguistics Literature

Christian missionaries in India, with a map and illustrations of the Hindu gods

VEYSSIÈRE DE LA CROZE, Mathurin. Histoire du christianisme des Indes.
The Hague, the Vaillant brothers (Isaac and Paul II?) & Nicolas Prevost, 1724. 8vo. With an engraved frontispiece, the title-page in red and black with an engraved vignette, 1 folding engraved map and 3 engraved illustration plates. Contemporary calf. [16], 570, [54] pp. Full description

€ 1,800

Church History & Missions India & Sri Lanka

Printed in the Alsace for Koberger in Nuremberg with 10 magnificent woodcuts

VIGERIUS, Marcus. Decachordum Christianum Julio II. Pont. Max. dicatum. Controversia de excellentia instrumentorum Dominicae passionis, per eundem Dn. Marcum Vigerium discussa.
[Hagenau, printed by Th. Anselm & Joh. Albertus for Joh. Koberger, Nuremberg, 1517]. Folio. With title in woodcut border by Urs Graf and 10 beautiful full-page woodcuts (ca. 13.9-14.4 x 9.7-10.2 cm) by the "Master I S with the shovel", a pupil of Hans Schäufelein. Contemporary calf over wooden boards, blind-tooled side, two brass clasps. Leaves from a 14th-century liturgical manuscript pasted on the inner sides of the boards. From the "Koberger Werkstatt". [6], 204, [14] pp. Full description

€ 12,500