James Cummins Bookseller

An Early 'Fontibus ex Graecis' Edition

[Biblia latina].

(Bible, Latin. Strasbourg, 1483).

[Strasbourg: Johann Grüninger], 1483.

Price: $15,000.00

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About the item

Fifth 'Fontibus ex Graecis' edition. [678] ff. Collation: A–ZAA–DD⁸ FF⁸ EE⁸ GG–IIkkLL–PP⁸ 14–18⁸ 19¹²; a–[long s]s–v⁸ u⁴ x⁸ 1–8<8.9>9–13¹⁰ 14–17⁸ 18¹⁰ 19¹². Signatures 14-19 (Interpretationes hebraicorum nomin[or]um & Nomin[or]um hebraicorum) printed in both volumes; signatures EE and FF in Vol. I bound in reverse; 2 leaves in signature 18 in Vol. II duplicated. Complete. Text in two columns, 45 lines per page. 37-line capital in purple, green and yellow on leaf A2, many initials completed in red ink, Vol. I rubricated throughout in red. Manuscript title to Vol. I initial blank and table of contents to Vol. II initial blank, Vol. II has early ink numbering in top corners. 2 vols. Chancery folio. Contemporary blind-stamped calf over wooden boards, early vellum reback to Vol. I, twentieth-century plain brown calf reback to Vol. II, brass catches to fore-edges (clasps lacking), manuscript title “prima p[ar]s biblie” to bottom edge of Vol. I text block. Front board of Vol. I detached, its spine mostly perished, front catches of Vol. II lacking, minor worming to pastedowns of Vol. I, endpapers of Vol. II renewed. Minor worming to margins of first and final few leaves, occasional light soiling and faint staining (mostly confined to margins), clean tear to foot of leaf 11⁸ extending into three lines of text block without loss, small hole to leaf 14-6 (Vol. II) with loss to a word, upper inside corner of final leaf torn away with loss, missing text supplied in manuscript in an early hand. Worn and crudely repaired but a complete copy in a mostly contemporary binding and with good margins. ISTC ib00577000; Goff B-577; GW 4242; Darlow & Moule II pp. 911-912 (note following 6083). Provenance: General Theological Seminary, Copinger Collection, gift of Cornelius Vanderbilt and Dean Augustus Hoffman (bookplates and blindstamps).

Item #372162

The colophon, dated but without publisher or place, notes this as a Fontibus ex Graecis Bible: part of "a series of corrected Latin Bibles, which claim for themselves—apparently with justice—a superiority above all contemporary editions. They are known as the 'Fontibus ex Graecis' editions, from the opening words of the Latin distichs found in them… [Masch] enumerates ten genuine 'Fontibus ex Graecis' editions, the other nine bearing the dates 1479, 1481, 1482, 1483, 1485, 1486 (2 editions), 1487 and 1489—all without name of printer or place" (Darlow & Moule).

A unique copy, with the indexes of Hebrew names appearing twice, at the end of each volume.