Search Results: Authors starting with C from Bruce McKittrick Rare Books

Venice: heirs of Aldo Manuzio & Andrea Asolano, 1519. CONTEMPORARY DARK BROWN FLEMISH PANEL-STAMPED CALF (c. 1530; corners worn, front hinge cracked), ruled outer frame, the panel stamp of wyverns, acorns, foliage, drawer handles and artichokes (see Goldschmidt's Gothic & Renaissance Book Bindings 134), rope marks fill the top and bottom spine compartments and the other three compartments have blind rolls on either side of the bands (crown and base defective), later manuscript-lettered paper spine label, evidence of four ties, edges gilt and gauffered with lozenges and daisies, vellum pastedowns from a 13th-century manuscript written in northern France.             The most widely known European military campaign of foreign conquest and civil war. Its simple, lucid prose style instructed Latin students for a half a millennium.            Excepting the front matter (papal privileges, errata, etc.), this edition is a paginary reprint of the innovative Aldine of 1513, which offered the first… Read More

Rome: J. Besicken, 1503. Contemporary Roman binding of blind-tooled and red-painted calf over beveled wooden boards decorated with two different ropework stamps, palm leaves, circles, flames, trefoils, daisies and a foliage-fan tool that is used in the corners and for the central medallion; four repoussé brass catches (clasps gone, late 17th-century repairs to the four outer corners, panels and spine slightly wormed). Only Edition: poems and prose representative of the brilliant cultural circle at the Aragonese court in Naples. Calenzio (1430-1502/3) was, first, King Federico's tutor, then his trusted diplomat and treasurer.  His son Lucio enlisted his father's friend, the humanist Colocci (1474-1549), to shepherd his father's works through the press, including his Croacus or Battle of the Frogs and Mice, his most frequently reprinted piece. As editor, Colocci often radically intervened, rewriting entire passages. He did not, however, suppress the author's obscene poems, licentious letters,… Read More

[Cologne: G. I Cervicornus], 1564. Contemporary gilt-ruled vellum with the bachelor arms of Jacques-Auguste de Thou on the panels and his small cipher in the gilt-ruled spine compartments (O-H-R 216, fers 2 & 3 variant), gilt-lettered spine title, all edges gilt, four purple silk ties (replacements).             First Edition. Cassander sought common ground in the tenets and teachings of the early church to foster the reunification of Catholics and Protestants. Here he takes up the Eucharist, emphasizing Christ's sacrifice for all believers and arguing that both Protestants and Catholics receive the sacrament's spiritual benefits. But he stopped short of asserting the veracity of transubstantiation, which rendered him suspect to Catholic authorities and ultimately landed this on the Index of Prohibited Books.            Historian and bibliophile, JACQUES-AUGUSTE DE THOU OWNED, READ, AND COMMENTED FAVORABLY ON CASSANDER. Shortly before his death, de Thou (1553-1617) asked for Cassander's… Read More

Paris: for the Author, 1777. Gilt red morocco (David; hinges rubbed), large corner fleurons, spine and all edges gilt, silk marker. SUPERB COPY OF THIS SPLENDID CLASSICAL REVIVAL PATTERN BOOK, informed by recent archaeological discoveries in Italy. Created for the king's brother, these extravagant designs "demonstrate [Cauvet's] tremendous range and understanding of classical ornament" (Vasemania). The number and content of leaves differ between copies. That offered here is among the most complete recorded. In fine condition. ¶Guilmard, Les Maîtres ornemanistes 226,28 (59 pl.); Quérard, La France littéraire II: 89 (64 pl.); Lewine, Bibliography of 18th Century Art 98 & reprod. (73 pl.); Cohen-de Ricci, Guide de l'amateur de livres à gravures 208 (76 pl.).

Paris: P. Vente, 1769. Contemporary gilt-ruled polished tan calf (rubbed), flat spine gilt à la grotesque with a gilt-lettered morocco label, red edges, blue silk marker. A talented sculptor and frame-maker, Cayeux (1688-1769) collected for six decades: "his cabinet was renowned for its examples of 'our talented modern artists'" like Boucher, van Loo and Cochin (Bailey). Many lots have eighty or more drawings or prints. One copy in the U.S. In good condition, contemporary title inscription On behalf of your most humble servant Cayeux (tr.) - ?penned by the deceased collector's son, Louis-Philippe (d. 1776). ¶Bailey, Patriotic Taste: Collecting Modern Art in Pre-Revolutionary Paris 21-22; Advielle, Notice sur Philippe Cayeux passim; Lugt, Répertoire des catalogues des ventes 1793.

Orléans: [P.-F.] Perdoux, 1780.  Beneath the title band lies the walled city of Soissons, fronted by a broad field. In the center left, shoemakers and cobblers serve customers and make and repair shoes in the shelter of a temporary stall. An elaborate outsized carriage dominates the scene. On the left, an angel leads the team of six white horses toward the town gate.  In the carriage, a well dressed coachmen drives the beasts, which are caparisoned with the tools of the shoemaker's and cobbler's trades. With a Cross of the Holy Spirit pinned to each of their chests, Saints Crispin and Crispinian, richly garbed, sit behind, unruffled in their journey. The carriage door is emblazoned with shoemakers' and cobblers' tools.   In the lower left of the scene more tools overflow a wooden box, and, just to the right, a pair of high boots and a half-dozen lasts lie scattered on the ground. Famous throughout northern Europe in the Middle Ages, Crispin and Crispinian are known today from the king's great… Read More

Rome: Valerio Dorico, 1560. CONTEMPORARY BROWN MOROCCO DECORATED BY THE RUIZ BINDER WITH A STYLISH GILT INTERLACING STRAPWORK FRAME AND CENTRAL LOZENGE (upper and lower inner corners repaired), in the middle a gilt scutcheon with THE ARMS OF POPE PIUS V IN GILT AND RED PAINT (front) AND THOSE OF HIS SECRETARY OF MEMORIALS, TEODOSIO FIORENZI, ON THE REAR, both escutcheons are belonged to the Ruiz Bindeer, a gilt fleuron in each spine compartment (crown and base repaired), evidence of eight red textile ties, all edges gilt.             The "Papal Ceremonial...regulates the observance of the papal court, the elevation and coronation of the pope and the imperial coronation" (New Grove2). It prescribes the movements, gestures, actions, ornaments, and vestments of the officiants. This most elusive, elaborate and complex part of the liturgy was unaffected by the sweeping changes made by the Council of Trent to nearly every other type of service book. This is the only edition printed in Rome. The title… Read More

Venice: B. Benalius, 150-. Late 19th-century English dark blue calf, blind-rolled outer frame, double gilt-ruled and blind-rolled inner frame with gilt and blind-stamped lilies in the outer and inner corners, spine gilt and gilt-lettered, blind-ruled board edges and turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt.             Illustrated anonymous chiromancy combining natural science, astrology, medicine, divination and folklore. THIS IS THE SECOND KNOWN COPY OF THIS EDITION, AND THE ONLY COMPLETE.            The art of palm reading began to spread through medieval Europe with the 12th-century translation of Arabic and Greek philosophical texts. Some Aristotelian and pseudo-Aristotelian works, in particular, legitimized the practice as a form of physiognomy. Chiromancy was soon linked to astrology - another system for the interpretation of natural signs - and, by the 15th century, had become a ubiquitous instrument of medical diagnosis, political strategy and fortune-telling. Its ambiguous… Read More

Lyon: for C. Baudrand in Vienne, 1659. Gilt-ruled polished tan calf (Simier), gilt spine and labels, all edges gilt, purple silk marker. First Edition, second issue. This examines the history of Vienne, just south of Lyon on the Rhône, from the 1st century BCE to the mid-17th century. Chorier describes its Roman amphitheater, statuary, aqueducts, leper colony, prison, churches, monasteries, fortifications, fountains, cemeteries, gardens, hospitals, palaces, libraries, festivals, games.... In good condition (title repair affects the imprint), some uncut edges, Yemeniz copy (Catalogue (1867) 3498). ¶Universal Catalogue of Books on Art I: 287; Répertoire...des livres imprimés en France au XVIIe siècle VIII: 162,77; Cioranescu 19462.

Milan: A. Agnelli, 1757. Contemporary red morocco with gilt drawer handles, swags, thistles, lilies and small birds, flat spine gilt (small neat repair), gilt embossed paper endleaves, all edges gilt, green silk marker.             ONLY EDITION of Kydones' fourteenth-century Greek translation of the chanted portion of the Ambrosian Rite Christmas Day mass. The Father of Liturgical Hymnody in the West, Saint Ambrose (c. 333-97) established a widely accepted liturgy that influenced Gallican and Mozarabic Rites and resonated with Eastern Christians. It still has millions of adherents in and around Milan.            Byzantine imperial administrator and diplomat, Kydones strengthened relations with the West during his Italian sojourns between 1355 and 1369. He befriended humanists and promoted Greek culture and the unification of Eastern and Western Churches. He converted to Catholicism and translated numerous works from Latin into Greek, including these psalmelli, which were sung by the… Read More

Paris: [G.-A. Crapelet for] J.-J. and M.-J. Debure, 1818. Original drab blue wrappers, letterpress spine label (spine mostly gone, sewing loosening), uncut. A library of 4500 titles, particularly Greek and Latin classics and antiquities with hundreds of Estiennes and other choice early editions, including de Thou's large paper copy in red morocco of Passerat's Catullus and books annotated by Jacopo Corbinelli (1535-90). Internally fresh, Royal Library in The Hague duplicate. ¶Blogie, Répertoire des catalogues de ventes II: 34; North, Printed Catalogues of French Book Auctions 570 (as Pierre Clavier; 1748-1812).

Paris: Antoine Saultereau, 1631. Contemporary gilt red morocco à la Du Seuil (scuffed, front stained, hinges and corners neatly repaired), marbled pastedowns, blank free endleaves, gilt-lettered spine and title, all edges gilt. THIS BEAUTIFUL AND COMPLEX HYBRID BOOK BINDS ART, COLLECTING, INSTRUCTION AND ENTERTAINMENT. Carefully planned and neatly assembled, it could serve artists, curiosity cabinet owners and children of wealthy families. It draws on coins, medals, statuary, paintings, architecture, manuscripts and printed books like Sainte-Marthe's biographies, Rouillé's Promptuaire and the bibliographies of Du Verdier and Gesner.      The present example spans Eastern and Western rulers, biblical figures, intellectuals, statesmen, nobles, clerics and pagan gods. It includes the most celebrated series, Famous Frenchmen since 1500 (cut by Léonard Gaultier, no. 18) with portraits of, i.a., Vesalius, Erasmus, Nostradamus, Budé, Alciati, Mercator, Ortelius, Thevet, Rabelais, Ronsard, Robert… Read More

[Hanover, 1803. Contemporary gilt paper over pasteboards (slightly rubbed, corners chipped), large paper label lettered in manuscript on the front cover, edges sprinkled red.             UNPUBLISHED INVENTORY OF THE HANOVER COLLECTION OF NEARLY TWELVE HUNDRED PAINTINGS HOUSED AT THE LEINESCHLOSS. Built in Hanover between 1636 and 1641 as the main residence of the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Leineschloss included a church, a theater and over one hundred rooms. In the 1660s, Duke Johann Friedrich began amassing large collections of paintings and books, and the palace grew in size and splendor under his successor, Elector Ernest Augustus, whose son became King of England as George I (r. 1714-27).            This inventory was prepared at the command of George III of England (r. 1760-1820) on the eve of the French invasion of June 1803. It lists masterpieces by, among others, Rubens, Cranach, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Kneller and Holbein (a portrait of Henry VIII), as well as "amateur" efforts,… Read More

[Liège]: Féliss Oudart, 1843. Contemporary polished calf-backed marbled boards, cloth corners, gilt-lettered spine title, mostly uncut. A complete run of this fugitive periodical with bawdy and satirical songs and verse in the dialect of Liège, which is still spoken today. The contributors (list available on request) were all Liège natives and founding members of Liège Society for Wallon Literature (est. 1856). I have found two other sets (both in Europe). In excellent condition. ¶Theux de Montjardin, Bibliographie liégeoise 982.

Paris: Gabriel Martin, 1731. Contemporary speckled calf (rubbed), spine and red morocco label gilt, edges sprinkled red and brown. Bibliographer and librarian to the Abp. of Canterbury, Colomiès recommends one hundred 16th- and 17th-century books across all fields (hunting, bibliography, coins...). He discusses their contents, arguments and errors. This is the first edition to be updated by Pierre Bonnet-Bourdelot (1655-1709) and Bernard de La Monnoye (1641-1728) with additional printings, citations and references to controversial literature. Martin (?1679-1761) revolutionized the auctioning of rare books in France. In good condition (a few scattered spots). ¶Besterman, World Bibliography of Bibliographies 812; Cioranescu 20103.

Lyon: F. Juste, 1539. Jansenist crushed red morocco (Cuzin), gilt-lettered spine, all edges gilt, blue silk marker. Three nationalist texts illustrated with popular woodcuts. The first - by poet, historian and bookseller Gilles Corrozet - recounts the legendary foundation of the cities and towns of France. The second, by the physician and bibliographer Symphorien Champier (c. 1471-1539), describes the topography of southern France, its main political centers, MEDICINAL SPAS AND ROUTES OF COMMERCIAL NAVIGATION. The third, Champier's son Claude's account of pilgrimage sites in France, binds the spiritual to the historical (I) and the physical (II). François Juste specialized in small format vernacular illustrated books. Fine, from the library of the great bibliophile, Fr.-Gust.-Ad. Guyot de Villeneuve (1825-1898; Catalogue (1901) II: 113). ¶Brun, Le Livre illustré en France au XVIe siècle 176; Bechtel, Catalogue des gothiques C-650; Buisson, Répertoire des ouvrages pédagogiques du XVIe siècle 179.

[Stuttgart: Printer of the Erwählung Maximilians], 1486. CONTEMPORARY BLIND-TOOLED PIGSKIN-BACKED WOODEN BOARDS (some worming), contemporary manuscript titles on the front board, on a vellum strip at the top center of the rear board, on the spine and on the bottom edge, brass catch (evidence of a clasp). First Issue, with the uncorrected colophon. From these seventy tracts and letters much of the old Latin Bible can be reconstructed. Their legalistic conception of the church permanently influenced Western Catholicism. During the Reformation, all sides turned to Cyprian.  THIS IS THE ONLY SUBSTANTIAL BOOK PRODUCED AT STUTTGART IN THE 15TH CENTURY, and one of three overall. The anonymous printer may have purchased his typographic materials from Conrad Fyner, who was active at Urach and Esslingen from 1473 to 1485.  An outlier, this is the only printing prepared by a still unidentified editor. The other incunable editions follow the text established by Giovanni Andrea Bussi (1417-1475) for… Read More