Exceptionally rare with the Interpretationes hebraicorum nominum lacking in most known copies

BIBLIA LATINA.

BIBLIA LATINA. Incipit epistola sancti Hieronymi ad Paulinum presbyterum de omnibus divinae historiae libris. Capitulum.

Basel: Johann Amerbach, 1479.

1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #003157

Folio (295 x 205 mm). 570 (of 572) unfoliated leaves, lacking initial and final blanks only. Printer's name and place of publication from ISTC; publication date from colophon on verso of leaf 9(8); title from first lines of text on recto of leaf a2. Signatures: a-y¹⁰ A-T¹⁰ U¹² X-Y¹⁰ 1-8¹⁰ 9-10⁸ 11¹⁰ 12-13¹². Bound without initial and final blank leaves a1 and 13(12). Leaf 10(8) verso blank. Printed in 2 columns, 47 lines. Rubricated throughout with red paragraph marks, painted lombards alternating in red and blue, single initials with rich Fleuronné filling, the first with extensive additional penwork along innner margin of a2r. Bound in 18th century half calf, spine with 5 raised bands, gilt-ruling and gilt-lettered label in first compartment, red-dyed edges (hinges partially split towards spine ends but cords expertly reinforced, spotting, scratching and soiling, extremities worn). The text pages generally clean and crisp with minor browning and occasional spotting, light offsetting and blurring of blue-painted lombards in places, first flyleaf mounted on inner margin of a1r obscuring part of the penwork (here some additional soiling from earlier partial unmounting of that flyleaf), free endpapers, first and last two leaves with vertical crease. Provenance: Count de Renesse-Breidbach* (engraved bookplate 'Ex bibliotheca Renessiana, no. 4' on front pastedown), Antoine Mouradian (bookplate with motto 'On abuse du vrai' on front pastedown). A fine copy. ----

Johann Amerbach's first Bible print appeared in 1479 as one of the first printing works from his Basel offizin (GW 04236). Further editions followed in 1482, 1486, 1491, 1492/94 and from 1498 to 1502. Ours is apparently "the earliest in a series of corrected Latin Bibles, which claim for themselves - apparently with justice - a superiority above all contemporary editions. They are known as the 'Fontibus ex Græcis' editions, from the opening words of the Latin distichs found in them" (Darlow & Moule vol. II: 2 p. 911). Ony a few copies include an additional 34 leaves at the end, with "Interpretationes Hebraicorum nominum".
Reference(s): Hain-Copinger 3075*; GfT 881, 882; Pell 2303; Hillard 383; Peligry 170; Polain(B) 651; IGI 1657; IBP 1006; Borm 455; Voull(B) 425,5; Ohly-Sack 520; Hubay(Augsburg) 361; Madsen 673; Oates 2766; Sheppard 2407; Pr 7557; BMC III 745; BSB-Ink B-433; GW 04236; Goff B561.
*Clément Wenceslas François Charles Cunegonde Constant Népomucène, Count de Renesse-Breidbach (1776-1833), book and art collector, whose collection of 2592 books and manuscripts was auctioned in Antwerp, Terbruggen, in November 1835. This is number 96 in the sales list (see Catalogue d'une très belle collection de livres de la bibliothèque délaissée par feu le comte C. W. De Renesse-Breidbach, No 3: Bibliothèque. Antwerp: Ancelle, 1835, no. 96, p.13). - Visit our website for additional images and information.

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