The text is written in one column of 50 lines on the recto and 51 lines on the verso. The leaf is faintly ruled in lead on the verso only, the impression of the ruling showing on the recto, the top line of text being above the top line of ruling; on the right edge of the page are double rules enclosing the first letter of each line. On the outer edge are prickings for the ruling. The left edge of the recto has directions to the rubricator, the explicits of each section being done in darker ink in a different hand. One line on the verso has been crossed out with a single thin line of ink. At the bottom of the verso is the quire number VIII and remnants of a catchword can just be seen at right on the bottom edge. English manuscripts from this period are rare.

Provenance: Ex–Zion Research Foundation (later known as the Endowment for Biblical Research); very likely to Zion from Ege.

•  Judith, Manuscripts Sacred and Secular, 18, f. 9. A small hole in the lower margin. Parchment a little soiled, especially on the hair side, as is not unusual with English vellum. Traces of adhesive from mounting on the corners of the verso.

Johannes Bebelius’ printer’s device appears on the title-page and on the verso of the final leaf, while the errata are printed on the verso of leaf 195, just above the colophon.

Evidence of readership: Faded sepia marginalia and/or underlining on folios 154, 155, 156.

WorldCat locates only six copies in U.S. libraries, one of which has been deaccessioned.

•  VD16 B3048.   Full dark modern calf old style, green leather spine label; spine with raised bands accented with blind rules extending onto covers to terminate in trefoils, and simple blind double fillets to covers; title-page reinforced at inner margin, lightly soiled. Pinhole worming, on most pages in lower margin; occasionally in text touching a letter but not costing text. “Elenchus” leaves with light waterstain to upper outer quadrant; same in inner upper and upper margins of commentary most notable from folios 100 to end, where at times it is brown and into the text of the inner columns.  (26539)

The texts of the psalms are given in Latin, as is the commentary and explication. As one will surmise from the size of this work, the commentary and explications are much, much more extensive than the psalms themselves!

The text is printed in roman, single-column format, with phrases and passages in Greek and Hebrew in those typefaces. Each psalm begins with a four-line woodcut historiated initial; and the typographer's lay-out and execution are both workmanlike and handsome.

Provenance:  19th-century booklabel of collector W. Jackson.

•  VD 16 ZV 1677.   19th-century vellum, later recased in that binding and hinges (inside) strengthened with cloth; soiled. Pin-hole type worming at front and rear of volume, in-text and touching but only rarely costing a letter, never impairing ability to read and understand; light waterstaining in some lower margins or across corners. A very few old marginal notes or corrections.  (25943)

The second work is Peter Martyr's commentaries on Corinthians, here in the second edition. It has a full-page woodcut portrait of him on the recto of leaf aa6. The printer's woodcut device is on the title-page and there are numerous woodcut initials. The sidenotes are printed in italic while the text proper is in roman.

Peter Martyr (8 September 1499 – 12 November 1562), was an Italian theologian who began his religious life as an Augustinian friar, converted to the Protestant cause, was closely associated on the continent with Ochino, Bucer, and some prominent Lutherans, and, while in England where he held the Regius Chair of Divinity at Oxford, was an intimate of Thomas Cranmer and Bishop Jewel.

Both works are uncommon in these editions in the U.S.: We locate four copies of the first title and two of the Vermigli, but one copy of each title has been deaccessioned, meaning current holdings are three and one only.

Binding:  Contemporary alum-tawed pig over wooden boards with bevelled edges and metal and leather clasps; one clasp perished. Leather tooled elaborately in blind using a variety of rolls and fillets, including one roll incorporating the date 1546, a medallion of David and his harp, and another medallion depicting John the Baptist with the words below the image, “Ecce Agnus Dei.”

•  Clement: VD16 C4070; Index Aurel. 104.903; Adams C2106. Vermigli: VD16 B5054; Adams M788.   Bound as above. Ex-library with bookplate on front pastedown, small blind pressure- (not perf-.) stamp on title-page and remnant of charge pocket at rear; six-digit number stamped in lower margin of one leaf. Early inked ownership indicia on title-page and old private ownership stamp on front free endpaper; a little old marginalia and underlining. A very little foxing and the odd spot only. Excellent copies of both works in a handsome contemporary binding.  (24827)

Trost (1588–1636), a professor of theology at Wittenberg, compiled this dictionary and issued it two years after publishing his much-praised edition of the Syriac New Testament with an accompanying Latin translation; the Lexicon was likewise lauded, primarily for its completeness.

This and Trost's Syriac New Testament are among the earliest books printed in Cöthen, Upper Saxony. This is the sole edition of the dictionary and it is uncommon in commerce.

•  Graesse, VII, 103; VD17 12:128565E.   Period-style calf, framed in blind; spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label, blind-tooled decorations in compartments, blind- and gilt-ruled raised bands with blind-tooling continued onto boards, ending in trefoils; signed in blind on lower rear turn-in by Grace Bindings. Title-page institutionally pressure-stamped, dedication with numeral rubber-stamped in lower margin. Pages age-toned; title-page and last two index leaves with moderate staining and spotting (in part from old binding). A strong, handsome book.  (25212)

•  ESTC S120055; STC (2nd ed.)12702.   Period-style calf framed and panelled in gilt with decorative blind rolls and gilt-stamped corner fleurons, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label, gilt-dotted raised bands, and gilt-stamped floral decorations in compartments. Front fly-leaf with inked presentation inscription dated 1830. Title-page with early inked inscription in lower margin, crossed out, and with institutional rubber-stamp; short tear from lower outer edge just touching border. Pages age-toned; final 50 ff. waterstained, mostly in margins, but extending into text in final 30 ff. Text complete despite erratic pagination and signing (signatures begin with B as per ESTC's description). All edges speckled red. Very interesting reading.  (25845)

Provenance:  Signature of Henry G. Weston on title-page; another inscription reads, “Betsy Colling Her Book.” An early owner practiced handwriting in this volume: Several pages bear sample letters, and the final (blank) page offers additional notations (largely, a list of Colling family names) and a doodle.

•  ESTC R20661; Wing (rev. ed.) H1978. On Hildersam, see: Dictionary of National Biography, IX, 833–35.   Recent quarter calf and marbled paper–covered sides, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label, gilt-ruled raised bands, and blind-tooled compartment decorations. Title-page institutionally pressure-stamped, with inked ownership inscription in upper portion; dedication with inked annotation in inner margin and inked numeral in lower margin; first contents page with small paper adhesion in upper portion. Pages age-toned with occasional staining; light to moderate waterstaining towards back of volume. First two leaves with margins chipped. One leaf with lower outer corner torn away, not touching text. Several pages with early inked notes and doodles as above. All edges red; fore-edge with an old “H” recording onetime shelving fore-edge out.  (26126)

Click the interior image for an enlargement.

Lightfoot (1602–75) was a noted Hebraist and Biblical scholar; Lowndes says of his works that “the writings of Dr. Lightfoot are an invaluable treasure to the biblical student.”

•  ESTC R21614; Wing (2nd ed.) L2052; Lowndes 1359.   Recent marbled paper–covered boards, spine with gilt-stamped title and publication labels. Title-page institutionally rubber-stamped. Pp. 145–48 (the end of the “Christian History...XXXIIII” section) bound in between pp. 152 and 153, with annotations in an early inked hand noting the error. Pages trimmed closely, taking part of title-page border and in a few instances affecting the catchwords or final lines of text. Waterstaining, mostly to lower outer portions.  (24853)

Click the interior image for an enlargement.

•  VD17 12:131988L.   19th-century marbled paper–covered boards, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label; paper rubbed with spine paper chipped, cracked, and shelving number inked at bottom. Pastedowns with institutional bookplates, free endpapers and lower (closed) edges institutionally rubber-stamped, title-page with early inked numeral in upper portion. First third of work with early inked annotations and underlining (some marginalia shaved), this tapering off in frequency with close of volume untouched. Two leaves with small portions of outer margins excised. Occasional small stains, pages mostly clean.  (25818)

•  ESTC R16460; Wing (rev. ed.) C1225; Vancil 46; Lowndes 386; Dibdin, I, 31–35. On Castell, see: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online.   18th-century speckled calf, covers bordered with a darker calf band blind-rolled and then framed with single gilt fillet; spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label, darker-leather raised bands gilt-stamped/blind-tooled, and compartments gilt- and blind-tooled enclosing gilt-stamped floral decorations. Binding rubbed, with leather significantly lost in top compartment and and lost also at foot. All edges marbled. Front fly-leaf with inked ownership inscription as above dated 1837; title-page with old institutional pressure-stamp. Frontispiece with outer margin reinforced some time ago. One leaf slightly oversized and creased, intermittent soiling in many upper margins, one leaf with text affected but not obscured, small sections with light waterstaining to outer or upper margins; over all, a book both impressive and pleasant. Columns erratically numbered, text complete.  (25792)

•  VD17 39:118489Q. Recent speckled paper–covered boards, spine with printed paper label. Pages faintly age-toned, clean.

Provenance: Charles Spencer, Third Earl of Sunderland, lot 7230 in the Sunderland Library sale (1882).

•  On Lamy, see: New Catholic Encyclopedia, VIII, 354–55. 18th-century vellum over boards with raised bands, lightly soiled; on the covers an ornate mandorla inside a composite frame. Crack in the vellum along front joint, joint itself sound. Ex-library with paper labels on spine; old pressure-stamps, including one on title-page of vol. I. Upper outer corner of title-leaf lost taking part of one letter of title; small tear into printed border of first map in vol. II. All edges speckled blue and red. A stout, substantial volume.

Printed in Hebrew (with the points) and Latin on opposite pages, this has a title-page printed in black and red; the Latin text is in roman with occasional italic.

An uncommon work in commerce now and in Brunet's time: “Livre recherché et peu commun.” Not heavily held in U.S. libraries, if WorldCat is to be believed, for it locates only eight copies.

•  Vinograd, II, 55; Amsterdam 1072; Steinschneider 1157; Zedner 148; Darlow & Moule 2416.   Contemporary vellum over paste boards, boards warped and front pastedown abraded and torn by this. Spine lettered in black in 20th-century and with an old library call number at base; library pressure-stamp in lower margin of title-page. A few leaves with slightly tattered foremargins.  (25775)

•  Contemporary vellum over paste boards; spine with inked author and paper shelf labels: soiled with a few spots. Front hinge (inside) partially open, but sewing holding. Pages generally clean, with a few small dog ears. Inked ownership inscriptions on front endpapers and title-page; a few instances of underlining.

•  ESTC T117664. Contemporary speckled calf, covers separated; front cover sometime (home?)-stitched to spine and holding, back one once (later) held on by paper laid over spine and a portion of both covers, paper now considerably chipped away. Lacking endpapers; front pastedown with library bookplate, back pastedown with doodles. Pages age-toned, with some minor foxing.

•  Wallis, Newton, 328.1; ESTC T41883, T18642, N64145. Recent quarter calf over marbled paper, spine with raised bands; gilt-lettered and -ruled label from a previous binding retained, chipped about the edges. Bookplate on front pastedown. Some light waterstaining and some cockling, and a few leaves with shallow chipping or tattering; these, with good repairs. Ample margins. In sum a handsome book.

•  Contemporary calf, spine gilt and with red leather label. Leather dry and flaking, with loss over corners, joints open but sewing holding, chipping at head and foot of spine, and crack down center of spine: This volume could split. Ownership inscriptions in ink on front pastedown and reverse of frontispiece. Browning from turn-ins onto endpapers and fly-leaves; light to moderate foxing throughout. All edges speckled red.

The author was a dedicated observer of meteors and comets and published several well-received works on those subjects in addition to his religious and philosophical treatises.

Rare: OCLC and ESTC locate only one U.S. holding, since deaccessioned; there are only two holdings found in the U.K.

•  ESTC T68482.   Recent marbled paper–covered boards, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label; yellow wrapper with early hand-inked title bound in. Title-page institutionally pressure-stamped and a five-digit number inked twice to the first page of the preface; no other markings. First and last few leaves with minor foxing; other scattered spots mostly confined to margins. Occasional pencillled annotations.  (25768)

•  ESTC T113648.   Recent quarter calf, old style; raised bands, gilt ruling above and below the bands as accents, gilt center devices in spine compartments. Deep red spine labels lettered in gilt; marbled paper sides, with dark wedge of soil crossing bottom 3/4-inch of front cover’s paper and line of same soil also to turn-ins of back cover. Faint off-setting to top and bottom margins of early leaves from old binding; medium-light waterstains in margins of index (i.e., last 6 leaves), and the odd spot or bit of soil elsewhere. Generally, a very nice clean book.  (25318)

•  Brooks, Compendiosa Bibliografia di Edizioni Bodoniane, 279; Steinschneider, Catalogus hebraeorum in Bibliotheca Bodleiana, 2152.   Binding on vols. I–IV: Contemporary calf, covers framed and panelled in blind rolls with original leather cracked, chipping, and darkened (III–IV especially severely); rebacked, spines with gilt-stamped title, gilt-dotted raised bands, and gilt-stamped compartment decorations. Hinges (inside) reinforced. Binding on the Scholia:  Recent, full period-style calf framed and panelled in blind rolls; spine with gilt-stamped title, gilt-dotted raised bands, and gilt-stamped compartment decorations. All title-pages with very old institutional rubber-stamps; early portions of vol. I with lightly pencilled annotations and bracketing, and vol. II with small pencilled marks of emphasis. Old soft corner creases or mild cockling variously throughout to vols. I–IV and, where these things (or a natural paper flaw) are most notable, a grey soil has entered at the loose or open places to mark the margins at their edges.  Otherwise, scattered light foxing, golden, not brown; and the occasional old spill (e.g., I Samuel) or smudge only.   Not “fresh” — but substantial, impressive, and with its lovely typography still lovely.  (25513)

Also reported/canvassed are hot religious disputes at the University of Pennsylvania and “Carlisle” (Dickinson), with reference to (literal) iconoclasm at Cambridge colleges under the Protectorate ; a double execution in New-York; and minutes of the General Assembly (including a petition from residents of Germantown protesting “enormous” taxes, “an act to prevent the importation of convicts within this common wealth,” and several items having to do with insolvent debtors.

•  Unbound, as issued; edges tattered, pages creased, age-toned and foxed, with tears along one fold and scattered small holes, with loss of a few letters or words not affecting general sense. Two pages with large, early inked notations over text.  (24658)

This is the first edition of the Old Testament commentary and the second of the New (which was first published in 1789–90). An entire volume is dedicated to the Apocrypha; in the other volumes, each section has a separate title-page.

Scarce: OCLC locates only three U.S. holdings, one of which has since been deaccessioned.

•  Not in Darlow & Moule, but see under 3357. On van Hamelsveld, see: Houtman, Nederlandse Vertalingen van het Oude Testament, 25–26.   Contemporary half mottled calf with speckled paper–covered sides, spines gilt extra with gilt-stamped leather title and volume labels; rubbed, paper starting to peel at a few edges, some spines with unobtrusive chips or a gilt-stamped decoration rubbed away, one spine with portion of leather (rather bigger than a “chip”) lost at head. Lower (closed) edges institutionally rubber-stamped, front pastedowns each with institutional bookplate. Page edges untrimmed. Waterstaining to upper inner portions throughout (a bit difficult to visualize the accident); otherwise, occasional minor spotting only. Vol. I of N.T. with back fly-leaf excised. Vol. I of O.T. with pencilled ownership inscription on front free endpaper, one leaf with short tear from outer margin not touching text, one blank intermediary leaf excised. Apocrypha with hole to one sectional title affecting one letter. A sturdy set with a great deal of shelf appeal.  (25843)

•  Rosenbach, Jewish, 131; Shaw & Shoemaker 5067. Not in Singerman Judaica Americana. Contemporary quarter sheep with paper-covered paste boards; heavily worn; joints open and covers almost detached. Early ownership signatures on front and rear pastedowns. Signature torn from upper outer corner of title-page, taking upper parts of three letters. Small Library of Congress duplicate release stamp on verso of title-page.

For a few more AMERICAN HEBREW
GRAMMARS &
        other JUDAICA/HEBRAICA,  click here.

Cruden, bookseller to Queen Caroline, dedicated his initial publication of his concordance to her. Unfortunately, she died two weeks later, and profits from the sale of the volume did not meet the author’s expectations; Cruden’s disappointment (and bouts of eccentric behavior) regardless, the DNB stresses that “his biblical labours have justly made his name a household word among the English-speaking peoples.”

The frontispiece portrait of the author was engraved by William Kneass.

•  Shaw & Shoemaker 10233. On Cruden, see: The Dictionary of National Biography, V, 249–51. Contemporary sheep, spine with gilt-stamped leather title label; worn and abraded, leather cracking over spine. Front pastedown and free endpaper (partially separated) with stray pencil marks. Varying degrees of offsetting and spotting. One piece of dried plant material laid in. (5706)

retelling of Old and New Testament history as a series of conversations between an inquisitive pilgrim and various Biblical figures

•  Shaw & Shoemaker 10485. Contemporary speckled sheep, worn and abraded; back cover with slices to leather, title label on spine almost entirely rubbed away. One leaf torn; pages age-toned throughout, with staining/spotting. Back pastedown with calligraphy practice inked in an early hand.

This is the sole American edition. First printed in England in 1804.

•  Shaw & Shoemaker 30564; NSTC W2651. Contemporary speckled sheep. Spines divided into compartments by double gilt rules with large red leather title labels and small round black volume labels, both edged with gilt fillets and gilt-lettered. Fine cracking to spines with shallow chipping from head and foot; edges rubbed, corners bumped. Pages with light browning around impression and on edges, with darker browning from turn-ins towards beginning and end of each volume. Large bite from rear free endpaper of vol. II; generally, text problem-free, with but a few shallow tears and chippings and a few light waterstains.

Click the interior image for an enlargement.

•  Parsons 655; Shoemaker 2272. Treed sheep, red spine label, gilt ruling on spine. Edges rubbed and abraded, refurbished; front joint and hinge expertly reinforced; now nice. Ex-Georgetown University with stamps on title-page; some old dog-ears and spots.

•  Parsons 680; Shoemaker 6058. Treed sheep, red spine label; gilt ruling on spine. Joints starting, edges rubbed and abraded. Foxed. Georgetown marks in pencil on front free endpaper.