Search Results: Authors starting with B from Littera Scripta

Large format soft cover. Condition: Good condition, slight tear on spine, name of previous owner on front page. 503 pages, black & white photos.

52pp, illustrated, signed by the author, v. good condition.

A scarce leaf from the second edition of the first Bible printed in octavo format by Johann Froben, founder of a great printer's dynasty and friend of Erasmus. The size of Froben's Bible conforms to that of many 13C portable manuscript Bibles written in Paris. To keep the number of leaves within a single volume, Froben used an unusually small but very clear gothic font in 7-point size. The Bible was known as the "Poor Man's Bible" because it was convenient to carry and easily affordable.
RECTO: Text in Latin printed in two columns in a gothic type on laid paper. Red rulings. One three-line coloured initial 'A' in red with marginal flourishing, added by hand after the printing. Heading "Exodus" marked in red. Capital letters touched in yellow.
VERSO:As Recto with two penned coloured initials in red and blue.
PRINTER:Johann Froben, Basel.
DATE: October 27, 1495.
CONTENT:The text is from the Book of Exodus. The red initial "A' begins Chapter 34:
Ac deinceps praecide ait tibi duas tabulas lapideas instar… Read More

"afflict not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, nor oppress them unjustly"
Recto: Latin text written in black ink on fine vellum in an extremely precise gothic minuscule script in two columns of 47 lines. Ruled in red, versal initials touched in red. Heading 'RE' (half of the abbreviated running title of 'IERE' (IEREMIAS), and chapter numbers in red and blue. One five-line initial 'H' and one two-line initial 'V' in blue and red with intricate red and blue penwork embellishments extending the full length of the page. Interestingly, in the right margin are words that the scribe originally omitted and has added later. (see Notes).
Verso: As Recto with the heading 'IE' and one two-line coloured initial 'V'. The decorative penwork from the initial extends the length of the page, as Recto.
Origin: Northern France, doubtless Paris.
Date: Mid-13th century, c. 1250.
Content:The text on Recto beginning Chapter 22 at the red initial 'H' reads:
Haec dicit Dominus descende in domum regis Iuda et… Read More

Recto: 50 lines of Latin text written in two columns in a gothic bookhand on high quality vellum. Ruled in red, some versal initials touched in yellow. Two fine illuminated three-line initials in blue, black, salmon and white, detailed with burnished gold begin Chapters 23 and 24. Chapter numbers and heading EXO (half the running title EXODUS) in blue and red. A bar border of blue, black, salmon and white runs the length of each column of text. Radiating into the margins are decorations of ivy leaves in blue and red finished with burnished gold. The bar border of the right column terminates with a dragon's head. Scholars' notes in gothic bookhands in the right margin.
Verso: As Recto, with one illuminated initial, one chapter number, one bar border and an extremely delicate pen decoration touched with salmon in the centre space.
Source: Paris, France
Date: c. 1300-1325
Content: The leaf is from the Old Testament Book of Exodus. Accompanying notes contain selections of the content which includes Moses… Read More

"Then the king being angry, commanded frying pans and brazen cauldrons to be made hot: which forthwith being heated. "
Recto: Latin text written in black & brown ink on fine vellum in an extremely precise gothic minuscule script in two columns of 47 lines. The scribe appears to have used two different inks. Ruled in red, versal initials touched in yellow. Heading CHA II (half of the abbreviated running title of MACHABEES II) and chapter number VII in red and blue. One two-line initial 'C' in blue with intricate red penwork extending the full length of the page. Two "manicules" (pointing hands) in the left margin.
Verso: As Recto with the heading MA II and an eight-line red initial 'I' with blue penwork beginning chapter 8. The decorative penwork from the initial extends the length of the page, as Recto.
Origin: Northern France, doubtless Paris.
Date: Mid-13th century, c. 1250.
Content:The text consists of sections of chapters 6 & 8 and all of chapter 7 of the Second Book of Maccabees. The blue initial… Read More

During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries a number of factors influenced the development of writing styles. Gothic minuscule script, as on this leaf, came about from the need to quickly produce books for the rapidly increasing level of literacy of the early 13th century. New universities were founded, each producing books for business, law, grammar, history and other pursuits, not exclusively religious works for which earlier scripts typically had been used. Its predecessor, Carolingian minuscule, while supremely legible, was time-consuming to write and consumed a lot of manuscript space.
Parchment and fine vellum were very costly, so scribes compressed the letters to make the most of the space available. The resultant compacted, angular script, given the name gothic minuscule, was popular with the scribes who had taken over much of the copying task from the churches. Parisian and other commercial workshops produced "pocket bibles" for the clergy and wealthy academics.
The parent book of this leaf… Read More

Early Bibles often incorporated a wide variety of aids and addenda, such as calendars and tables of lections, biblical summaries and devotional treatises, to facilitate prayer, preaching and study.
Guiding readers through the long and complex text of the Bible, none was as popular as the "Interpretations of Hebrew Names in alphabetical order". It was usually found at the end of the Bible after the Apocalypse.
Recto: Ruled in red with text written in brown ink on fine vellum in Latin in a precise gothic minuscule script in three columns of 55 lines. The text is written in remarkably tiny and well formed letters, so small that there are four lines of text to the centimetre, or nine lines to the inch. Two Lombard style Illuminated initials in red and blue.
Verso: As Recto.
Origin: Italy, probably Bologna.
Date: c. 1250
Content: The leaf contains a section of the "Interpretations of Hebrew Names in alphabetical order", (Interpretationes hebraicorum nominum secundum ordinem alphabeti) starting… Read More

An incunable leaf with a woodcut by a young Dürer from
Sebastian Brant's The Ship of Fools.
Verso:Woodcut by Dürer and text printed on laid paper. Title in a large gothic font: Spernere consilia salubria (Spurning good advice).
Recto: Text in two sizes. Heading Titilus ex folium. LII.
Printer: Johann de Olpe, Basel.
Date: 1497.
Content: This English translation of Brant's text is by Professor Edwin Zeydel who uses verse form, like the original. A section of his text on 'Of Not Following Good Advice' reads:
Some men are wise in what they sa
But hitched to folly's plow they stay;
The reason is that they rely
Upon their shrewdness keen and sly
And heed to no one's counsel pay
Until misfortune comes their way.
Notes:Published in 1494 in Basel, Sebastian Brant's The Ship of Fools was an instant and unprecedented success, and was followed by dozens of other editions, adaptations and translations into Latin, Low German, French, Dutch, Flemish and English. Stultifera Navis is the Latin version of Brant's… Read More

An incunable leaf with a woodcut by a young Dürer from
Sebastian Brant's "The Ship of Fools".
Verso:Woodcut by Dürer and text printed on watermarked laid paper. Title in a large gothic font beside the woodcut: Derisio boni op(er)is. (The Mockery of Good Work).
The text above the woodcut is : "The protest of Jacob Locher Philomus". Locher translated the original German text into Latin. (See Notes below.)
Recto: Text only. Paginated CXXXVI (136.)
Printer: Johann de Olpe, Basel. Date: 1497.
Content: The text beside the woodcut in the roman font beginning Ambulans recto translates as:
He walking the upright path and fearing god is disparaged by him who advances along the disreputable way. The scoffer seeks wisdom and the teaching of sensible men is not easily found. He who is mocked: he appealed to god and he will hear him clearly: for the candour of the just man is mocked.
Notes:Published in 1494 in Basel, Sebastian Brant's The Ship of Fools was an instant and unprecedented success, and was… Read More