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Rare and Antiquarian Books

XVIth Century Books

In addition to the many rare and collectible modern books available on Biblio, we are also proud to present our booksellers' collection of antiquarian books printed in the 16th Century. Many of these featured books are printed in Italian, French, and Spanish, and many of them contain intricate and very rare illustrations. There was a greater variety in how books were bound, so many of the books offered here are bound in leather or cloth, which adds to their value and scarcity. Many books and ephemera printed in the 1500's are unique and one of a kind, and many contain fascinating glimpses into the cultures and lives of those present in that tumultuous period of history. Because of their age and delicacy, these books are quite fragile and require great care when handling. Be sure to read the book descriptions carefully and feel free to contact the bookseller directly should you have any questions about treatment or preservation, as you want to protect your investment as much as possible.

Results 1 - 15 of 132
Die geuerlicheiten und einsteils der geschichten des loblichen streytparen und hochberümbten...
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Die geuerlicheiten und einsteils der geschichten des loblichen streytparen und hochberümbten helds und Ritters herr Tewrdannckhs

by [PFINTZING, Melchior] [1481-1535]

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used
Edition
1st Edition
Binding
Hardcover
Seller
Toronto, Ontario
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This seller has earned a 3 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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A$186,492.00
A$15.00 shipping to USA

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[Colophon on A8v:] Nuremberg: Johann Schönsperger, [1517]., 1517. folio. 353 x 248 mm. [ff. 290, incl. blank P5]. xylographic title. 118 large woodcuts in the text. A very nice tall copy bound in 19th century antique-style blind-stamped morocco by Clarke & Bedford, all edges gilt (some wear to edges & joints but binding solid, p6, t1 & the 8 leaves of the last gathering remargined & possibly supplied from a smaller copy, occasional light spotting, scattered tears & paper defects skilfully repaired - these are mainly marginal but in a few instances the text is slightly affected, on t4 with some letters supplied in pen facsimile, & on m8 & x5 with parts of some letters supplied in pen facsimile). mezzotint portrait (foxed) of Pfintzing inserted. the Huth-Boies Penrose copy, with leather ex-libris & bookplates. First Edition of one of the most celebrated German woodcut books of the sixteenth century. This allegorical poem of knight-errantry celebrates the heroic exploits of the Emperor Maximilian I… Read More
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A$186,492.00
A$15.00 shipping to USA
A DIALOGUE BETWEENE EXPERIENCE AND A COURTIER, OF THE MISERABLE STATE OF THE WORLDE
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A DIALOGUE BETWEENE EXPERIENCE AND A COURTIER, OF THE MISERABLE STATE OF THE WORLDE

by LINDSAY, DAVID

  • Used
Condition
Used
Seller
McMinnville, Oregon
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A$17,778.90
A$14.00 shipping to USA

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London: Thomas Purfoote, 1581. 188 x 144 mm. (7 1/2 x 5 5/8"). 4 p.l., 140 (i.e., 148) leaves. Pleasant 19th century black crushed morocco by Riviere and Son (stamp-signed in gilt on front turn-in), covers with panels framed by blind and gilt rules, gilt trefoil tool and anular dot at each corner, raised bands, spine in gilt-ruled compartments with trefoil centerpiece, gilt titling, gilt-ruled turn-ins, all edges gilt. Title within ornamental border, small decorative woodcut initials. Printed in black letter type. Front pastedown with bookplate of Robert S. Pirie; front free endpaper with armorial bookplate of Sir Richard Newdigate dated 1709; a few pages with ink annotations in a contemporary hand. STC 15678; ESTC S108560. See also: Longman, "Bibliotheca Anglo-poetica," pp. 190-92. ◆Corners slightly rubbed, top margin trimmed a bit close, occasionally touching running title, leaves just a shade less than bright, a few spots of foxing and soiling, otherwise an excellent copy--with few signs of… Read More
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A$17,778.90
A$14.00 shipping to USA
A PRINTED BOOK OF HOURS ON VELLUM, IN LATIN AND FRENCH. USE OF ROME
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A PRINTED BOOK OF HOURS ON VELLUM, IN LATIN AND FRENCH. USE OF ROME

by (BOOKS OF HOURS - PRINTED)

  • Used
Condition
Used
Seller
McMinnville, Oregon
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A$51,720.45
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Paris: Gillet Hardouin, 1516 [calendar covering the years 1516-27]. 197 x 120 mm. (7 3/4 x 4 1/2"). 104 leaves. FINE CONTEMPORARY BLIND-TOOLED CALF, covers with multiple rules and floral rolls, raised bands, gilt lettering in two compartments, skillfully rebacked in the style of the period, four brass clasps and catch plates (possibly renewed), original vellum endleaves. In a vellum clamshell box. WITH 23 VIGNETTES AND 16 FULL-PAGE METAL CUTS within architectural borders, BEAUTIFULLY ILLUMINATED IN COLORS AND GOLD BY A CONTEMPORARY HAND. Front pastedown with engraved bookplate of "J. R. P.," rear endleaves with genealogical information in an early hand. The coloring of one of the vignettes left unfinished. ◆Extremities and raised bands with a little rubbing, minor (and very well done) repairs to a few places at the corners and edges, but the extremely attractive binding completely sound and pleasing. One miniature with faint creasing (mostly touching the robes of two figures), a few miniatures… Read More
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A$51,720.45
A$14.00 shipping to USA
Le Premier Tome de lArchitecture.
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Le Premier Tome de lArchitecture.

by Philibert de L'Orme.

  • Used
  • Fine
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used - Fine
Edition
First Edition. First Issue.
Binding
Hardcover
Seller
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
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A$38,852.50
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THE GREATEST BOOK OF RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTUREIllustrated with 205 large woodcuts, including 74 full-page and 7 double-page blocks; magnificent allegorical woodcut title border; large woodcut head-pieces and large floriated and grotesque woodcut initials; leaf I4 slightly taller than the rest of the text block, to accommodate a tall column woodcut, with about 2 cm section at top folded in. Royal Folio. 19th-century ¼-vellum over marbled boards; spine decorated and lettered in gilt; edges gilt. Paris: Fédéric Morel, 1567. First Edition. First Issue. The most influential and most lavishly illustrated handbook of French Renaissance architecture. The first and only published volume. A second volume was planned by the author but never completed.Mortimer, Harvard College Library Cat.: French 16th-Century Books, no.355; Brunet, Supple. I, 888-9; Fowler Architect. coll. 99; Clouzot, Philibert de l'Orme, pp. 90-107; Berliner Ornamentstichkatalog 2362; Pettegree, French Vernacular Books 15434; cf. Adams L… Read More
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A$38,852.50
A$20.00 shipping to USA
SHAKESPEARE'S HOLINSHED:  The first and second volumes of Chronicles, comprising 1. The...
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London: London: printed [by Henry Denham] in Aldersgate street at the signe of the Starre, 1587. 2nd Edition . Hardcover. Very Good. Second edition; large folio; 3 volumes bound into 2 physical volumes. Vol. 1: [10], 250; [4], 202, [2]pp. Vol. 2: 61, [13], 183, [1]; 421, 424-430, 436-438, 431-433, 439-445, 450-464, [56]pp. Vol. 3: [8], 1080, 1080-1327, [2], 1332-1371, 1371-1421, 1490-1491, 1536-1555, 1574-1592, [62]pp. Mismatching set. Volumes 1-2 bound in 17th century reversed calf (somewhat worn with a few old repairs, hinges cracked, corners and spine ends worn with minor loss), blind rolls to margins of boards, spine with five raised bands, gilt-lettered red leather spine label to second compartment and additional hand-written leather spine label to third compartment, housed in attractive custom-made clam-shell box in red half leather over marbled boards with five raised spine bands and gilt lettering direct to spine in second compartment. Unobtrusive creasing and wear to opening and… Read More
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A$29,192.71
A$17.95 shipping to USA
De triangulis planis et sphaericis. (...) quae extructa est à Ptolemeaeo & Copernico de...
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De triangulis planis et sphaericis. (...) quae extructa est à Ptolemeaeo & Copernico de Revolutionibus orbium caelestium. [Avec : ] - Problematum astronomicorum et geometricorum sectiones septem. [Avec :] - In Ptolemaei magnam compositionem, quam almagestum vocant, libri tredecim

by REGIOMONTANUS, SANTBECH, Daniel

  • Used
Condition
Used
Seller
VILLEFRANCHE DE LAURAGAIS, France
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A$126,067.50
A$30.00 shipping to USA

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Basel, (Heinrich Petri & Peter Perna, 1561). *** Première édition donnée par Daniel Santbech de cet ouvrage de Regiomontanus. Il l'a revu et commenté à la lumière des découvertes de Copernic. Rédigé en 1464, ce texte n'a été publié pour la première fois qu'en 1533 à Nuremberg. Illustré de très nombreux bois gravés dans le texte. Relié à la suite : - SANTBECH. Problematum astronomicorum et geometricorum sectiones septem... Basileae, Per Henrichum Petri, et Petrum Pernam, 1561. In-folio de (20), 294, (2) pp. Première édition. Une suite de l'ouvrage précédent, qui traite des applications pratiques. La plus grande partie est consacrée à l'astronomie et ses instruments. L'auteur traite aussi des cadrans solaires, de géographie, de navigation, d'arpentage, de balistique... Le mathématicien et astronome Daniel Santbech était hollandais. En 1651, Riccioli a donné son nom à un cratére de la Lune. Relié avec : - REGIOMONTANUS, PEURBACH. In Ptolemaei magnam compositionem, quam… Read More
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A$126,067.50
A$30.00 shipping to USA
[Villancicos, Eglogas and Canciones sung and danced in Naples] Qüestión de amor. Agora...

[Villancicos, Eglogas and Canciones sung and danced in Naples] Qüestión de amor. Agora nuevamente impresso: con algunas chosas añadidas

by [Cardona Alonso de]

  • Used
  • very good
Condition
Used - Very Good
Seller
Milan, Italy
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A$31,096.65
A$25.00 shipping to USA

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4° (mm 185x135); cc. LXXIIII. Caratteri gotici; titolo e anno impressi in rosso, entro cornice silografica a quattro scomparti e con bellissimo legno centrale; al verso dell'ultima carta, marca tipografica silografica. Legatura ottocentesca in mezza pelle. Bell'esemplare, nonostante i margini non amplissimi.
Very rare edition of the earlier Spanish sentimental romance, originally published in Valencia in 1513.
About the authorship of Qüestión de amor, one of the most intriguing among the Spanish sentimental romances:
"In a series of articles on the authorship of the earlier sentimental romance Qüestión de amor, I suggested first that the anonymous author was a member of the aristocratic Cardona family (1994a) basing this attribution on a series of clues deeply imbedded within the text itself – in other words, evidence interior to the work. Furthermore, I suggested that the author was the poet Alonso de Cardona whose work was found in the Cancionero General of 1511 (1994b and 2006). Finally,… Read More
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A$31,096.65
A$25.00 shipping to USA
Hore divine virginis Marie secundum usum Romanum : cum aliis multis folio se queti notatis una...
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Hore divine virginis Marie secundum usum Romanum : cum aliis multis folio se queti notatis una cum figuris Apocalipsis et destructio Hierusalem et multis figuris Biblie insertis.

by [HEURES A L’USAGE DE ROME].

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used
Binding
Hardcover
Seller
Paris, France
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A$58,831.50
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Paris, Germain Hardouyn, 1518.
8vo [171 x 110 mm] printed on vellum skin of (84) ll. in 11 quires signed A-K by 8 and L by 4. Roman characters, 31 lines. The mark of the Hardouins is printed on l. A1.
17 large figures including the anatomical Man. 21 small illuminated vignettes, 4 illuminated borders. Complete.
Full brown velvet from the 18th century, signs of wear.
Precious Book of Hours printed on vellum skin decorated with 17 full-page engravings illuminated with gold at the time, with 21 small vignettes equally illuminated and with numerous gilt initials on a blue or red background.
The calendar is dated 1518.
Lacombe 290 ; Van Praet Catalogue, p. 112, n°135 ; Brunet, Heures, n°251.
The iconography is composed, besides the printer's mark and the anatomical man, of 16 large full-page figures all colored with shimmering colours and inserted inside gilt framings.
The 16 engravings represent:


- St John the Evangelist.
- Arrest of Jesus.
- Adam and Eve.
- Annunciation.
- Visitation.
- Nativity.
-… Read More
Item Price
A$58,831.50
A$9.24 shipping to USA
workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght
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workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght: sometyme Lorde Chauncellour of England, wrytten by him in the Englysh tonge.

by MORE, Sir Thomas

  • Used
  • first
Condition
Used
Seller
Beverly Hills, California
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A$46,623.00
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London: Printed...at the costes and charges of John Cawod, John Waly, and Richarde Tottell, 1557. BEDFORD, Francis. . The workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght. sometyme Lorde Chauncellour of England, wrytten by him in the Englysh tonge. London: Printed...at the costes and charges of John Cawod, John Waly, and Richarde Tottell, 1557. First edition of the collected works in English, edited by More's nephew, William Rastell who arranged the material in chronological order and added marginal notes. This copy with the words "Printed at" in the first line of the imprint. Small folio (10 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches; 261 x 186 mm). Collates complete: [18 leaves of preliminaries, including the title and blank leaf], 1458, [lacking final blank]. Collation as in Pforzheimer, including the inserted leaf between CC5 & 6. Black letter, double columns. Title within woodcut border (McKerrow and Ferguson 81), decorative and historiated woodcut initials. Handsomely bound in a late 18th century full calf binding. Boards ruled in… Read More
Item Price
A$46,623.00
A$20.00 shipping to USA
Regnum Congo. Vera Descriptio Regni Africani, Quod Tam Abincolis Quam Lusitanis Congus...
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Regnum Congo. Vera Descriptio Regni Africani, Quod Tam Abincolis Quam Lusitanis Congus appellatur….: Pigafetta's report of the Kingdom of Congo

by PIGAFETTA, FILIPPO

  • Used
Condition
Used
Seller
CHELTENHAM, Gloucestershire
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A$39,198.00
A$8.95 shipping to USA

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Frankfurt, Wolfgang Richter, 1598, folio (300 x 200mm), crushed Morocco gilt by Pratt, with Engraved Title-Page, Engraved Arms of Frederick IV, 2 folding engraved maps on 3 sheets and 14 half page engraved plates.
Pigafetta's report of the Kingdom of Congo and of the Surrounding Countries, 1591 was translated into English, Latin (as Regnum Congo), French, Dutch, and German.
In it Pigafetta explains that he was ordered by Pope Sixtus V to transcribe the account of Duarte Lopez, a Portuguese trader who had spent twelve years in the Congo. Lopez's narrative gives a detailed account of his voyage on his uncle's ship, and the history and geography of the kingdom of Congo and its six administrative regions under the rule of its king (named by Lopez 'Don Alvarez'). The account demonstrates the extent of Portuguese exploration across West Africa in the sixteenth century, of which later explorers were unaware

Duarte Lopes travelled within central Africa, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo and… Read More
Item Price
A$39,198.00
A$8.95 shipping to USA
Histoire de la Mappe-monde papistique, en laquelle est declaire tout ce qui est contenu &...
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Histoire de la Mappe-monde papistique, en laquelle est declaire tout ce qui est contenu & pourtraict en la grande Table, ou Carte de la Mappe-Monde. Composée par M. Frangidelphe Escorche-Messes.

by TRENTO, Jean-Baptiste / [FRANGIDELPHE].

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used
Binding
Hardcover
Seller
Paris, France
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A$15,968.55
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Imprimée en la ville de Luce Nouvelle, par Brisaud Chasse-diables [Genève, François Perrin], 1567.
Large 8vo of (4) ll, 190 pp, (1) bl. l., few spotting, pale waterstain in the lower part of the last 7 ll.
Red morocco, triple gilt fillet around the covers, flat spine decorated with gilt fillets and lyres, decorated edges, gilt inner border, gilt edges. Bound by Derome le jeune with his label.
229 x 143 mm.
Very rare first edition of this violent satire against the court of Rome.
The work has long been attributed to Theodore de Bèze; in reality, under the Rabelaisian pun of the pseudonym Frangidelphe Escorche-messes is hidden the identity of Jean-Baptiste Trento, an Italian from Vicenza who converted to the Reformation in 1541 and took refuge in Geneva. He was received as a citizen of the city in 1559.
Copy from the second issue whose title bears the date of 1567 and not the one of 1566.
"Violent satire against the court of Rome. Copies are rare and sought after. The common opinion is that it is… Read More
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A$15,968.55
A$9.24 shipping to USA
FÊTES DU DUCHÉ DE CLÈVES. Beschreibung derer Fürstlicher Gülig'scher Hochzeit, so... zu...
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Cologne, 1587.
Folio [277 x 185 mm] of (142) ll. A few tears formerly restored. Full light-brown roan, blind-stamped border around the covers, spine decorated with a gilt Greek pattern, restorations on the spine and on the back cover, mottled edges. Binding from the end of the 18th century.

First edition of this celebration book "of the utmost rarity".
(Vinet, Bibliographie Méthodique et raisonnée des Beaux-arts, n° 722).
"There were several editions of this volume of the utmost rarity, omitted by Brunet. The first issue, published without date in 1585, is composed of 10 etchings by Hogenberg, with engraved text, in German verses, by Th. Gramjn. The second issue is composed of 36 engraved leaves. The third is the present one, published as a volume, with a German text, printed in mobile characters, and double plates printed inside the text." Vinet.
Actually, both first issues are only booklets (10 plates for the first one, 36 leaves for the second one), only the third state offers a complete… Read More
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A$142,876.50
A$9.24 shipping to USA
Trattato della Sanctissima Charità
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Trattato della Sanctissima Charità: Printed 'at the instance’ of the Dominican tertiary nuns of the Monastery of Santa Caterina del Paradiso in Siena: the Essling's copy

by Dominici Giovanni (al secolo Banchini o Baccini Giovanni, Firenze, 1356 o 1357 – Buda, 1419)

  • Used
  • first
Condition
Used - Very Good+
Seller
Milan, Italy
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A$16,472.82
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4°; cc. (4), 180 [recte: 170], (2) [numerosi errori nella numerazione delle carte]; segnatura: †⁴,A-X⁸,Y⁴. Caratteri gotico e romanico. Al frontespizio, grande silografia a piena pagina raffigurante l'autore inginocchiato nell'atto di offrire la sua opera a Cristo in Croce; capilettera silografici. Splendido colophon calligrammatico in forme di Croce. Legatura del sec. XIX - firmata "M. Lortic" in marocchino rosso, armi al centro dei piatti, dorso a cinque nervi con titolo impresso in oro e monogramma 'MV', taglî dorati. Accurati, piccoli restauri marginali - verosimilmente ottocenteschi - alla prima e ultima carta; alcuni fascicoli leggermente bruniti. Nel complesso, copia molto bella, discretamente lavata come imponeva il canone collezionistico francese del secondo Ottocento.
Provenienza: legatura alle armi di Victor Masséna, Prince d'Essling (1836-1910); su un foglio di guardia, etichetta "Antiquariato Librario [Francesco] Radaeli", Milano; Christie's 16 Jun 2005, Libri e autografi, n.… Read More
Item Price
A$16,472.82
A$25.00 shipping to USA
The Workes of Geffray Chaucer, newly printed, with dyuers workes whiche were neuer in print...
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The Workes of Geffray Chaucer, newly printed, with dyuers workes whiche were neuer in print before: as in the table more playnly dothe appere. Cum priuilegio

by Chaucer, Geoffrey

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used
Binding
Hardcover
Seller
Austin, Texas
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A$41,183.65
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The fourth edition of Chaucer's collected works, and the definitive edition edited by the great William Thynne, Henry VIII's custodian and hunter of Chaucerian manuscripts. According to Sydney Lazarus Lee, Victorian scholar of early modern English poetry, "Thynne was the first genuine editor of Chaucer, and deserves the gratitude and respect of every student of the poet. He was unable to distinguish between the genuine and spurious work of his author, but he printed a better text of the Canterbury Tales than had been given before, and he included for the first time Chaucer's Legende, Boece, Blanche, Pity, Astrolabe,and Stedfastness."
This undated (but c1550) edition was probably printed by Nicholas Hill, and publication was shared by four London publishers, William Bonham, Richard Kele, Robert Toye, and Thomas Petit. Each of these four variants bore a different colophon. The Petit variant (the present book) is the scarcest, with 12 known copies in institutional libraries (perESTC). Our copy is… Read More
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A$41,183.65
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Novum Testamentum.
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Novum Testamentum.

  • Used
  • Fine
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Fine
Binding
Hardcover
Seller
Scarborough , North Yorkshire
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A$29,398.50
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Brown calf binding with raised banding and gilt title on the spine. Embossed decorative border on both boards. In a newly made fitted box.
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In researching the history of 'Novum Testamentum' there are some established facts and then matters of repute - drilling down on repute I am having difficulty in converting repute to fact.
Facts

The book was printed by Charlotte Guillard who inherited France's then most prestigious Print shop. Her history and that of the print works along with their production of 'Novum Testamentum' is recorded.
The book was given by the French ambassador, Antoine, 1st comte de Noailles, to Queen Mary in July 1554 to mark her marriage to Philip.
The Novum Testamentum has handwriting within which is identified with that of Queen Mary Tudor, there are also extensive symbols which are associated with the Jesuits.
The Novum Testamentum was removed from the library of Traquair House,… Read More
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A$29,398.50
A$8.95 shipping to USA