⁂ The description of this lot has changed ***. Ship of Fools.- Brant (Sebastian) Das Narrenschiff [Latin] Stultifera navis, translated from German into Latin by Jacobus Locher, collation: a-s⁸ t⁴, 147 ff. (of 148, lacking a¹ (title)), 30 lines (variable) and headline with foliation, Gothic type, 116 half-page woodcuts, most with partial or full early hand-colouring, d⁶ and g² repaired tear within text, with minor loss, e^1-4 small hole to lower margin, of which 2 repaired, a few small worm holes in register ff. at end, closely trimmed at head, affecting the odd headline, trimmed at fore-margin, affecting printed side-notes, stained, 18th century vellum, stained, 8vo (137 x 97mm.), Augsburg, Johann Schönsperger, 1 April, 1497.

⁂ 'the most important of a long line of moralizing works in which the weaknesses and vices of mankind are satirized as follies' (PMM). A rare edition at auction (we can trace only the S.A. Thompson Yates copy, sold Christie's 2014, for £37,500).

Provenance: 'sum Joannis ?Holtenperger, ?1635' (ink inscription to head of first f.); M.H. Bloxam (19th century ink inscription to front free endpaper).

Literature: BMC III, 370; Goff B-1088; GW 5056; HC *3748; Bod-inc B-508; BSB-Ink B-818; ISTC ib01088000; PMM 37.