Description
Publicius (Jacobus) Ars oratoria. Ars epistolandi. Ars memorativa, collation: A-D8 E6 a8 b6; c-d8, 67ff. (of 68, lacking initial blank), 31 lines, Gothic type, full-page woodcut diagram of the tree of oratory, 42 woodcut roundels on 7pp. comprising a pictorial alphabet (most with two illustrations for each letter), a boat and one with a city view, full-page woodcut of a mnemonic device of 25 animals in compartments, full-page astronomical diagram with a moving volvelle in form of snake on d3 verso, full-page woodcut chessboard on d8 recto, woodcut decorative initials, ruled in red, small patch of soiling to title, spotting to margins, ink library stamps to A2 recto and d7 verso, pencil notes to endpaper, bookplate to front pastedown, crushed brown morocco by Charlene Matthews, gilt, spine in compartments, neatly and sympathetically rebacked, retaining original backstrip, some slight rubbing to extremities, g.e., preserved in a custom drop-back box, 4to (187 x 133 mm.) Venice, Erhard Ratdolt, 30 November, 1482.
⁂ Rare first edition, first issue of the first printed treatise on memory. It is the first book to contain a printed 'visual alphabet' and to show a printed illustration of a chess board (this last identifies the work as the rare first issue). The last copy we can trace at auction was the Helmut N. Friedlaender copy in 2001.
Provenance: The Library of Regia Monacensis (ink stamp); pencil note to endpaper attesting the purchase at the Hamilton Cole Library auction (New York, 8 April 1890); Walter Goldwater (bookplate).
Literature: BMC V 287;Goff P1096; HC 13545*; Bod-Inc P-536; BSB-Ink P-868; GW M36431; ISTC ip01096000.
Lot 109
Publicius (Jacobus) Ars oratoria. Ars epistolandi. Ars memorativa, first edition, Venice, Erhard Ratdolt, 1482.
Estimate: £40,000 - 60,000
Description
Publicius (Jacobus) Ars oratoria. Ars epistolandi. Ars memorativa, collation: A-D8 E6 a8 b6; c-d8, 67ff. (of 68, lacking initial blank), 31 lines, Gothic type, full-page woodcut diagram of the tree of oratory, 42 woodcut roundels on 7pp. comprising a pictorial alphabet (most with two illustrations for each letter), a boat and one with a city view, full-page woodcut of a mnemonic device of 25 animals in compartments, full-page astronomical diagram with a moving volvelle in form of snake on d3 verso, full-page woodcut chessboard on d8 recto, woodcut decorative initials, ruled in red, small patch of soiling to title, spotting to margins, ink library stamps to A2 recto and d7 verso, pencil notes to endpaper, bookplate to front pastedown, crushed brown morocco by Charlene Matthews, gilt, spine in compartments, neatly and sympathetically rebacked, retaining original backstrip, some slight rubbing to extremities, g.e., preserved in a custom drop-back box, 4to (187 x 133 mm.) Venice, Erhard Ratdolt, 30 November, 1482.
⁂ Rare first edition, first issue of the first printed treatise on memory. It is the first book to contain a printed 'visual alphabet' and to show a printed illustration of a chess board (this last identifies the work as the rare first issue). The last copy we can trace at auction was the Helmut N. Friedlaender copy in 2001.
Provenance: The Library of Regia Monacensis (ink stamp); pencil note to endpaper attesting the purchase at the Hamilton Cole Library auction (New York, 8 April 1890); Walter Goldwater (bookplate).
Literature: BMC V 287;Goff P1096; HC 13545*; Bod-Inc P-536; BSB-Ink P-868; GW M36431; ISTC ip01096000.
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