Early Printing & Manuscripts / History, Law & Philosophy

[AURELIUS, Cornelius]. Die cronycke van Hollandt, Zeelandt en[de] Vrieslant beghinnende va[n] Adams tiden tot die geboerte ons heren Jh[es]u[m] voertgaende tot de[n] jare M.CCCCC. ende Xvij.
Leiden, Jan Seversz., 18 August 1517. Folio. With the title-page printed in red and black with a large woodcut between different woodcut borders, and 239 woodcuts in text, including 121 woodcut portraits. Black blind-tooled goatskin (1637), with gold-tooled title and binding date on side. [2], 436 ll. Full description

AURELIUS, Cornelius Gerardi. Batavia, sive de antiquo veroque eius insulae quam Rhenus in Hollandia facit situ, descriptione & laudibus; adversus Gerardum Noviomagum, libri duo ...
Antwerp, Christophe Plantin, 1586. 8vo (16.6 x 10.7 cm). With a woodcut device on the title page and woodcut initials throughout. Limp vellum, sewn on three supports laced through the joints (top one broken), with a green morocco label lettered "Batavia Ant. 1686" in gold on the spine. [16], 135, [1 blank] pp. Full description

[AURELIUS, Cornelius and Ellert de VEER]. Die cronycke van Hollant, Zeelant ende Vrieslant. Dordrecht, Peeter Verhaghen, 1591, 1591, 1590. 3 volumes bound as 1. Small folio (30.5 x 20.5 cm). With 3 title-pages, each with a different woodcut full-length portrait (the first count of Holland Dirck I, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and King Philip II of Spain), 1 double-page engraved map of Holland in part 2 (in its first state), and 36 woodcut portraits in text. Blind-tooled vellum (ca. 1740?). [6], 264; [6], 162; [1], 1-110, 110-130, [6] ll. plus the map. Full description

BAÏF, Lazare de and [Charles ESTIENNE (editor)]. De re vestiaria libellus, ex Bayfio decerptus: addita vulgaris linguae interpretatione, in adolescentulorum gratiam atq[ue] utilitatem.
Lyon, Sebastian Gryphius, 1539. 4 works in 1 volume. 8vo. With a woodcut printer's device on the title-page and final page of the first 3 works, each work with a decorated woodcut initial. With: (2) IDEM. De vasculis libellus.
Idem.
(3) ESTIENNE, Charles. De re hortensi libellus.
Idem.
(4) SENALUS [= CENEAU], Robert. De vera mensurarum ponderumque ratione.
Paris, Ioannes Roigny, 1535.

Later vellum, with a brown morocco label on the spine with the author and title lettered in gold, red sprinkled edges. 65, [11], [3 blank], [1]; 54, [7], [2 blank], [1]; 97, [15] pp.; [18], 119, [1 blank] ll. Full description

BAÏF, Lazare de and [Charles ESTIENNE (editor)]. De vasculis libellus, adulescentulorum causa ex Bayfio decerptus, addita vulgari Latinarum vocum interpretatione.
Paris, Roberti Stephani [Robert Estienne], (colophon: 13 October) 1543. 8vo. With a woodcut printer's device on the title-page. Later blueish-grey paper over boards with the title printed in black on the spine. 52, [3], [1 blank] pp. Full description

BARLANDUS, Adrianus. Rerum gestarum Brabantiae ducibus historia, nunc primum Latine conscripta ... usque in annum vigesimu[m] sextu[m] supra 1500 restitutae salutis ... Catalogus insignium oppidorum Germaniae inferioris. Emendationes, quibus incuriae typographorum occurritur.
(Colophon:) Antwerp, Hadrianus Tilanus & Johannes Hoochstraten, 1526. 8vo (12.8 x 8.9 cm). With woodcut frame on the title page, and some woodcut decorated initials. 19th-century half vellum. [148] pp. Full description

BARLANDUS, Hadrianus. Hollandiae comitum historia et icones: Cum selectis scholijs ad lectoris lucem. Eiusdem Barlandi Caroli Burgundiae ducis vita. Item Ultraiectensium episcoporum catalogus & res gestae. Eiusdem argumenti libellus Gerardo Noviomago auctore.
Frankfurt am Main, Johann Wechel for Sigmund Feyerabend, 1585. 2 parts in 1 volume. 8vo. With a woodcut portrait of Gertrude of Saxony (repeated on p. 25) on the title page, a woodcut printer's device of Feyerabend ('Fama') on the divisional title page of part 2, a variant of his printer's device on the verso of the last page, 37 half-page woodcut portraits (all except the first three with their coats-of-arms and small ornamental woodcuts underneath), several decorated woodcut initials, and head- and tail pieces.
With: IDEM. Traiectensium episcoporum catalogus et eorum res gestae. Contemporary overlapping limp vellum. [16], "393" [=391], [1 blank]; 109, [1], [2 blank] pp. Full description

[BECH, Philipp (editor)]. De disciplina puerorum, recteque formandis eorum & studiis & moribus, ...
Basel, Joannes Oporinus (colophon: Bern, Samuel Apiarius, March 1556).
With: (2) [MOREL, Guillaume, ed.]. Graecorum veterum selectae brevesque epistolae.
Paris, Guillaume Morel, King's printer for Greek, 1562. With a remarkable woodcut device on the title-page. With the Greek text set in Claude Garamont's famous Grec du Roi and the Latin translation set in his Aldine-style italic. 2 works in 1 volume. 8vo (15 x 10 x 4.5 cm). Richly gold-tooled tanned sheepskin (ca. 1700), gilt edges. 31, [21]; [16], "840" [= 804] pp. Full description

BIENATO, Aurelio. In elegantiarum sex libros Laurentii Vallae disertissimi epithomata nuper recognita.
Venice, Giovanni Antonio Nicolini da Sabbio, for Melchiorre Sessa, 1539. Small 8vo. With Sessas charming woodcut device showing a cat with a mouse in its mouth, with motto "Dissimilium infida societas" below, repeated on the last page. Later half vellum, gold-tooled spine, boards covered with decorated paper. 63, [1] ll. Full description

BOETHIUS, Anicius Manlius. Di consolatione philosophica volgare, nuovamente revisto & di molti errori porgato opera al tutto dignissima eccellente & bella.
(Colophon:) Venice, Melchior Sessa, December 1531. 8vo. With the title and leaf 1 printed within a border made up of typographical ornament, and 6 decorated woodcut initials, of which one historiated. 17th-century gold tooled green morocco. [8], 104 ll. Full description