Encyclopedia Ecclesiastica / Prompta Biblioteca

Frankfuert: Apud Van Duren. 1784. The complete title is "Prompta Bibliotheca canonica, juridica, mo ralis, theologica, necnon ascetica, polemica, rubricistica, histo rica", an 8-volume encyclopedia of religious knowledge. The first edition of this work appeared at Bologna, in 1746. A second edit ion, much enlarged, also a third, were published by the author hi mself. The fourth edition, dating from 1763 seems to have been pu blished after his death. This edition, 20 years later, contains t he additions which the author had made to the second edition and also other enlargements (additiones ex aliena manu) inserted in t heir respective places in the body of the work (and no longer in the appendix as in the former editions) and supplements. Ferrari was an eighteenth-century canonist of the Franciscan Order. The exact dates of his birth and death are unknown, but he was born a t Solero, near Alessandria in Northern Italy. He was also profess or, provincial of his order, and consultor of the Holy Office. 8 volume set, each comprising approximately 700 pages. Good condit ion. Interior is very good-near fine: clean and tight with very little foxing. It was rebound, from appearances sometime in the late 19th century and the bindings show heavy edge wear and crack ed spines. Marbled boards with cloth spines, to which the origina l ribbed-leather spines have been affixed. The book has recently been reprinted, but vintage volumes such as this are quite rare - - and complete sets especially so. .