Duns Scotus (Johannes) Quaestiones in primum librum Sententiarum Petri Lombardi, edited by Brother Rufinus, first edition, collation: [a² b¹⁰ c-d⁸ e¹⁰ f-g⁸ h¹⁰ i-k⁸ l¹⁰ m-n⁸ o¹⁰ p-q⁸ r¹⁰ s⁸ t-u¹⁰ x-y⁸ z¹⁰ A⁸ B-C⁶ D⁸], double column, 223 leaves (of 224, lacking final blank D8, but with blank B6), 46 lines, Gothic type, b1 large initial in green on a red ground with white and blue decoration and with 2 tendrils with light brown and red leaves extending into upper margin, initials and paragraph-marks in red or blue, blank f. bound in after a2, a1 loss to lower-margin with paper repair, marginal ink inscriptions and blue ink-stamp, a few other marginal repairs, generally small but sometimes slightly larger (see z6, B1, D7), some signatures in early ink manuscript to blank lower corners (sometimes slightly trimmed), some small marginal worming, more pronounced to final Sig., with couple small wormholes within text of first and last few ff., some marginal damp-staining to head, some light staining and light browning elsewhere, but generally good, contemporary calf over wooden boards, covers blind-tooled with central lozenge within rectangular panel, rebacked in modern leather with old paper label titled in manuscript laid down, repairs to corners and extremities, signs of former metal fittings now lacking, 16 small leather tabs mounted to fore-margin (a few others evidently once present but now lacking), titled in manuscript to lower-edge, likely in a monastic hand, staining to lower cover, worming and wear, endpapers renewed, one front free endpaper preserved with early ink inscription and marginal repairs, folio (340 x 225mm.), [Venice], Vindelinus de Spira, 5 November, 1472.

⁂ The editio princeps of Duns Scotus’ commentary on Peter Lombard’s Sentences, a foundational text of medieval philosophy and theology, printed at the first Venetian printing house. The work is also quite possibly the first printed book by a Scottish author. This 1472 edition marks a pivotal moment in the transition from manuscript culture to the typographic age.

While the second edition (printed just 2 weeks after the first) does occasionally appear in commerce, we can trace only this copy, and another in 1928 of the editio princeps at auction.

Provenance: Carthusian monastery of Ilmbach (early ink inscription to preserved front free endpaper); Franciscan monastery of St. Elisabeth in Thuringen (ink note in late 17th/early 18^th century hand to a1); Franciscan monastery of Dettelbach (19th century ink-stamp to a1).

Literature: BMC V 159; Goff D374; GW 9079; Hain 6422*; Bod-inc D-171; BSB-Ink D-300; ISTC id00374000.