Donatus melior: Unpublished, unique (post)incunabula

8°, 20 x 14 cm. Mid-19th century cardboard binding.

41 nn leaves; there exist leaves aiii – a8; b1-b8; c1-c8; d1-d2; d6-d8 (?); e1-e8; f2-f7;

Missing are: a1, a2, d3 – d5 (?), f1, f7 and an unknown number of following leaves.

Numerous old ink notes; leaves are numbered recto at upper right; water stained throughout.

As the imprint is missing, an exact dating is difficult. The initials were used by Rosembach from ca. 1493. The initials were also used in the Missal of 1499 (M24774 Missale Tarraconense. 26.VI.1499.°). The woodblocks are still unworn in our Donatus melior, therefore, the impression was not made very much later.

Printed with Joan Rosembach`s types 1, 7 and 2. There are aberrant majuscules as Rosembach used in prints he made in Perpignan. The state of the type in this Donatus is the same as in the preface to Mancinelli's "Carmen de figuris" (according to Norton this is the Spica edition, p. 233a). An even better example is the "Vocabulario" of 1502.

Summary: This print has not been described before. It can be concluded, that it was printed around 1500 (1498 – 1502), most probably 1502.

Joan Rosembach - Johann Rosembach - (* c. 1470[1] in Heidelberg; † November 1530 in Barcelona) was a German printer active in Catalonia. Between 1498 and 1500, he stayed in Tarragona for longer periods of time. Between 1500 and 1503, his stay alternated between Barcelona and Perpignan, which was also Catalan. He is considered the most important book printer of his time in Catalonia.

Literature: Norton, F.J., DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF PRINTING IN SPAIN & PORTUGAL, Mansfield Centre, CT: Martino, (1999).