De civitate dei. With commentaries by Thomas Waleys and Nicolaus Trivet.

Mainz, Peter Schoeffer, 5 September 1473. Both colophons with Fust and Schoeffer device printed in red; 2-line initials and paragraph marks supplied in red; chapter headings supplied in red; with fine contemporary Greman decoration, text opening with an historiated initial showing St. Augustine, 22 large decorated initials all painted in color, and with a fine color penwork border of flowers on the bottom of margin f. 2. Goth. type. 45 to 80 lines (2 sizes of types, see below). 2 cols. [364] leaves (last blank lacking possible preserved mounted on verso of f. 364). Royal folio (390 x 285 mm). Early l9th-century English tan calf tooled in blind panelled sides with palmettes at outer angles, back gilt lettered in similar style (lightly worn, hinges cracked),. 16th century vellum label pasted on inside back cover with owner's ms. entry of a Benedictine monastery in the diocese of Cambrai. In a cloth case. With commentaries by Thomas Waleys and Nicolaus Trivet. Mainz, Peter Schoeffer, 5 September 1473. First in Germany printed edition, and first Mainz edition of St. Augustine's magnum opus, and the second commentated edition of his "City of God" preceded only by Mentelin's Strasbourg edition, not after 1468. The present book is a monument of early printing by a master printer and most important pupil of Gutenberg containing commentaries by the Oxford Dominicans Thomas Waleys (d. 1349) and Nicolaus Trivet or Trevet (fl. 1297-1334). There are only few surviving copies originating from the first press founded by Johann Gutenberg, which was later taken over by Fust. The oldest imprint known from Gutenberg's shop is his 1457 "Psalterium Moguntium" where he calls Fust and Schoeffer as printers. One of the greatest books of Christianity, written by Saint Augustine (fl. 354-430) is present here as a splendid specimen from the first of all printing presses showing two of the earliest types ever cut: The text is printed in the type first used in the 1462 Bible GW 4204 (48 lines). The last eighty leaves, containing Trevet's commentary, are printed in the type which was originally made for the 1459 Durandus GW 9101 (63 lines), which is the fourth book printed. Each book of the text is preceded by a chapter table. Important information on the history of printing is to be found in the colophon, as in the majority of Schoeffer's early impressions, alludes with pride to the Invention of Printing: "with much labor completed in the famous city of Mainz in Germany, not by tracing with the quill-pen, but ingeniously composed from the heads of type-letters, by Peter Schoeffer of Gernsheim ..." Below this is Schoeffer's shield printed in red. - Retaining pinholes in the lower margins throughout and contemporary quiring in many leaves. Last leaf slightly dust-soiled, and with a few spots at the end, 2 small tears. Generally, the present book is very fresh and wide-margined, and in fine condition. - HC 2057*; GW 2884; BMC I, 29 (IC.180); Goff A-1240; Pell 1555; Pol(B) 358; IGI 976; IDL 493; BN CInc A-680; BSB-Ink A-856; Proctor 102. INCUNABLES ; RELIGION ;