[FINE PRESS] [HISTORY OF PRINTING][COPYRIGHT LAW] Lorrain, Claude [Laude Gelee] Liber Veritatis; Or, a collection of prints after the original designs of Claude Le Lorrain; in the collection of His Grace the Duke of Devonshire, executed by Richard Earlom… London: Messrs. Boydell and Co., n.d. (dated 1777 in the preface)  Two volumes. Folio: frontispiece, 18 pp.,  100 plates in mezzotint printed in bistre by Earlom after Claude,  frontispiece, 10 pp., 100 plates in mezzotint printed in bistre. 3/4 red morocco and marbled bords, spines richly gilt.   Provenance:  Sir William Eden Bart, his bookplates with laid in gift presentation note from Robert Goff.  Abbey Life 200.     $14,000

A magnificent and unusually clean set of a great work in the history of the book.  Abbey, without exaggeration, describes it as “a capital work, a landmark in the history of reproduction master drawings.” Its compilation was intended to protect Claude from numerous forgeries and imitators, and as such, it is perhaps the earliest instance of a self-compiled catalogue raisonné.  A work of enormous influence that even Turner sought to emulate with his Liber Studiorum, it also ranks as one of the great causes célèbres in the history of copyright protection, vying with Dürer’s challenge to Marcantonio Raimondi’s, Ruben’s privilege applications, and William Hogarth’s lobbying for the first English Copyright Act.  A third volume was eventually published in 1819.

The Map present in this modest, ephemeral, and exceedingly rare directory is of great importance in American cartography.  It was engraved by the well regarded early American engraver Cornelius Tiebout (1777-1832) after John McComb Jr. (1763-1853 ), one of the most important architects of the period.  It was drawn primarily to depict the First Meeting of the Federal Government in New York.  ”The federal government under the new United States Constitution first met in Federal Hall (formerly City Hall) in New York City during the spring of 1789. This plan of the city of New York by John McComb (1763–1853) shows the city and environs and indexes many important landmarks, including Federal Hall.” [LOC].  Additionally, according to Evans, “In this directory is given the changes from the early names of the streets.”

There is a wonderful blog post by Philip Sutton on the importance of early directories to researchers, historians and genealogists (in connection with  New York Public Library’s Direct Me NYC 1940 project)  here.

Auction Record:
The only copy actually sold at auction in the last 30 years was in 1986 Swann Galleries  for $650.00 (Thursday, April 3, 1986. lot 292) for an INCOMPLETE copy described as having “good portion of the engraved plan of the City and part of Long Island is lacking, tear at D2; lacks F5 and F6″  Please keep in mind that the copy for sale here is COMPLETE by comparison with the important map intact!

Sometimes, if the book contains a signature or bookplate of a person of great literary, cultural, or historical importance, then the value of the book will clearly be affected. However, I am not talking here about books owned by George Washington (one of which sold for $9 Million). I wanted instead to look at the more subtle examples rare booksellers normally encounter: ownership marks of well known or important people, but not necessarily household names.

As a simple case study, I will examine one of the 19th century’s most popular works on archeology: Lazard’s Nineveh and its Remains. “Layard became the foremost archeologist of his time, and discovered the ancient ruins of Nineveh at the tender age of thirty-one. While the British Museum unloaded hundreds of tons of sculpture from Layard’s excavation, Layard wrote Nineveh and Its Remains, a popular account of his discoveries… The book appeared to rapturous acclaim and sold out numerous printings. Readers loved the fluent mix of high adventure and archeology in his books, and intoxicating stew of compelling characters and sudden crises. He made the Assyrians accessible to the common person and brought alive a shadowy Biblical civilization.” [Kessinger Publishing, LLC, describing the reprint]

Here is the simple description and photo of the set:

Layard, Austen Henry. Nineveh and its Remains. London, John Murray, 1849. 2nd ed., 2 vols. 8vo., 22 x 14.5 cm., complete with half-titles, 26 plates and plans (many folding), engraved folding map (short tear), occasional light spotting. Full fine crushed red morocco and gilt as depicted, all edges gilt, inner gilt dentelles, slight chipping to spine and rubbing to hinges.

Based solely on title, edition, and condition alone, we might consult one of the subscription auction databases such as the American Book Prices Current
A recent auction record of the set listed there is: Layard, Austen Henry, Sir, 1817-94 – Nineveh and its Remains. L, 1849 – 1st Ed – 2 vols. 8vo, – contemp half calf – rubbed – With 2 frontises, folded map & 24 plates. – Foxing – Winter, May 16, 2012, lot 40, £180 ($279). Because the attractive bindings on our set perhaps are more desirable that the half calf described in the auction record, we could reasonably increase the evaluation fo our set to $350.

However, upon examining this particular set, we find the 19th century Crest Bookplate of Henry B. H. Beaufoy, F.R.S, the famed hot-air
balloonist, Royal Society member, and bibliophile. Beaufoy owned an important library including a set of magnificent copies of the first four folios of Shakespeare, known now as the “Beaufoy Shakespeares” Copies of Beaufoy books, often splendidly bound, may be referred to reverentially as “the Beaufoy copy.”

Additionally when we open the set further, we find bound in before the preliminary pages a 10 PAGE MANUSCRIPT IN BEAUFOY’S HAND commenting on the work and furnishing details of the famous Beaufoy library. When reading this manuscript, it is mentioned that Layard (the author) was a family friend
and had donated a manuscript volume of another of his works to the prestigious library. It may be supposed, without proof (an authorial inscription), that this set may also have been a presentation from the author.

So, how does the Beaufoy provenance affect the value of a set that would normally sell for $350? This is, of course, a subjective question as the inclusion of the manuscript and provenance are unique attributes not found in other copies. Needless to say, is not unreasonable to add perhaps $400 to the value of the set, making the total value $750. Beaufoy may be fascinating to bibliophiles and book collectors, but he is no George Washington.

SELLER: Chris

LOCATION: Wallingford, Connecticut

WHO COLLECTED THE BOOKS:

The books, stacked in neat piles on the basement floor, were part of
the collection formed by Eugene Silver Barry,
Chris’s maternal grandfather.  Eugene S. Barry left school at twelve
and by his late twenties opened a leather tannery. He befriended a
bookseller in Boston, who in exchange for leather, offered rare books
and expert advice. Clearly, a love of books was an inherited trait as
his own father, Eugene Barry, Sr., was a published poet and an
original donor and trustee of the Lynn Woods Reservation, one of the
largest largest municipal parks in the United States. A humble volume
of his 1904 poetry, inscribed to his wife, sat lightly bruised and
infrequently dusted on the shelf.

BOOKS BEING SOLD:

Many of the books being sold concern voyages. As a leather tanner, Chris’s
Grandfather had a natural interest in the fur trade and exploration
books concerning the NorthWest Passage, the potentially highly
lucrative trade route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that
captured the imagination of generations of explorers. Collecting
exploration books was a shrewd investment. Mankind always has
yearned to uncover the mysteries of new lands and the fascination
has not escaped the attention of collectors. Fine copies
of important voyage and exploration books have become expensive.

BOOKS NOT BEING SOLD:

There is a nice ten volume 1912 set in blue cloth of The Photographic
History of the Civil War. That will stay in the family.
Chris’s relative, Sergeant Joseph R. Balsley of the 142nd Pennsylvania
Infantry, fought at Gettysburg and the set contains
thousands of Civil War photographs including those of Matthew Brady.
Chris proudly showed me his relative’s original battle sword.

Another book of sentimental value that will remain on the shelf is a
copy of Kipling’s Just So Stories. Chris’s Grandfather read it to him
as a child, but today he hesitates to read it to his own
grandchildren. The story of how the elephant got his trunk seems
dated and less palatable today when the paragraphs end with
“they beat him.”

A BOOK WORTH HIGHLIGHTING:

An attractive and sought-after copy of John Marshall’s The Life of
George Washington was one that grabbed my attention. Copies at auction
generally command $1500-2500 or more depending on the condition and issue.
This wonderful six volume set was printed between 1804 and 1807
and unites two great historical figures in American history- Chief
Justice John Marshall, the principal founder of our constitutional
law with George Washington, a founder of our nation. Washington was a
major influence on the young Marshall, and his eloquent biography was
drawn from Washington’s diaries, letters and secret archives. The
accompanying, and often missing, Atlas volume contains maps of
Revolutionary War battlefields. It is the type of patriotic work that
no doubt would have interested the upstanding and civic minded Barry
family.

REASON FOR SELLING:

There is no room in the house anymore and the books have been moved
between homes several times, with the occasional
nick in a spine or missing volume resulting from the shifts.

PLANS FOR THE MONEY:

The money will be funneled into the upkeep and care for a family property
in Maine. The property was originally bought by Eugene Barry, Sr. in 1988.
As Chris explained, he met a women (Lucy Wyman) from Sebec Village, at the
eastern end of the lake, at a church social after the men had rowed 12 miles
just to get there! They married, and the property has been in the family ever since.
Chris is the fourth generation and his grandkids are the sixth. It is a comforting
thought that the books have come full circle and the proceeds will benefit the family
property that was so dear to his Grandfather’s heart.

The books as seen piled on the basement floor in Chris’s home

The First Edition of Marshall’s Life of Washington

The Civil War battle Sword of Sergeant Joseph R. Balsley

We just received in the mail a very interesting work on watch and clockmaking from 1732:  Johann George Leutmann’s Vollständige Nachricht von den Uhren.  This is a complicated work and typographically intimidating.  It is  printed in black-letter script with only occasional Roman script, a style that remained  common in Germany  until the end of the 18th century.  It is not a book, like a signed limited copy of the Little Prince, for example,  that can more easily be looked up on the internet for a range of prices.  So, I thought it would be instructive, to outline what goes through the mind of a bookseller when appraising a book’s value:


There are several factors one must reasonably consider:


IMPORTANCE: When evaluating an old book, and once it has been identified, it is necessary first to get a sense of its importance.  Some books are rare, but not necessarily important and therefore not very valuable.    The book here is important.   A little research indicates that it is considered to be the  ”The first detailed treatise on clocks and watches.” (Baillie, Clocks and Watches, p.147).  Book dealers are often fond of books that can be labeled “the first of this” of the “first of that”, and while they sometimes go to extremes to elevate a particular book’s importance with such descriptive labels for the purpose of marketing, this is truly a breakthrough work in horology.  It is particularly  fascinating, as while some other earlier works had touched upon clock mechanisms, Leutmann delves into the relatively newer area of pocket watches and portable time pieces, with a chapter even on how to tell the age of a watch (albeit that is not much use today if you like a glitzy Rolex or a more subdued vintage Patek Phillipe)


THE BINDING:  The binding of this book is a scarce and collectible binding.  It is a Brocade paper binding that is almost certainly contemporary with the book (i.e.  from the 1730s).  The paper was originally printed in bright colors, with an abundance of  decorative leaves and flowers.  It is now worn, and like many things that suffer the ravages of time, only displays a glimpse of its former beauty.  Still, it is a quite fascinating as an example of innovative and inexpensive 18th century European bookbinding.


RARITY: The book is not a first edition, as it was originally issued in 1718.   Still, it is a work that very rarely appears at auction in any edition.  I have only been able, in fact, to trace two copies at auction in the last thirty years.  There are several subscription databases to check auction results such as the ABPC, AmericanaExchange, and in the case of German books, the JAHRBUCH der Auktionspreise für Bücher.   A quick and free option to ascertain rarity is to look at Worldcat.org.   This is a solid, albeit not entirely comprehensive, database of holdings of  books in Institutional Libraries (how many libraries have copies of a particular book).   Worldcat has its flaws, such as duplicate listings, incorrect listings of actual books vs. microfilmed copies etc.  Still, it is very helpful, and certainly one can also get the collation (page count) and cataloger’s notes of many rare books.  Through Worldcat, I was able to trace only 9 other copies of this 1732 edition- so it is quite rare.


PROVENANCE: It is essential when evaluating a book, to look for signs of previous ownership, bookplates, annotations, inscriptions etc. and to assess their importance. In this book, we do have some ownership signatures in a fairly illegible hand, but which read “Ex Libris W.W. Eckark”    Now, if that was an important and identifiable watch or clockmaker, that would certainly raise the value of the book.  Unfortunately, there is scant biographical information on who that is and as such it does not contribute much to the value.  Additionally, there are some mid-18th century notes to the inside of the front cover (paste-down) of the book.  These notes however just reference and re-state part of the text and do not appear to be significant.


COMPLETENESS:  The work should contain 2 parts in 1 volume with 2 engraved frontispieces, 30 engraved plates and 16 tables (mainly folding, or double-page). One must carefully check and count all pages.  While all the text pages are present as well as the 2 engraved frontispieces, this copy only possesses 18 of the 46 plates and tables and therefore must be considered severely defective.


VALUE: While the book is extremely important in the history of horology and is bound in an interesting 18th century binding,  it is incomplete.   It is a unfortunate fact that collectors and dealers want complete books even if that means passing over otherwise interesting and rare works.   Condition and completeness are extremely important when it comes to assessing the monetary value of a book.  Were this a complete example, it would have a value in the range of $1500-2000.   Sadly, with so many plates missing, it is just an antiquarian curiosity to those interested in watchmaking or bookbinding, but something not likely worth more than $300.

With notable exceptions, most Bibles printed after 1800 in America and after 1700 in Europe are actually not worth very much money.  That is simply a consequence of the fact that so many Bibles were printed as well as the fact that many were treated as important family heirlooms and have therefore survived the ravages of time.

With that said, there are exceptions to the rule for Bibles with unique appeal or characteristics.    For instance,  there are historically interesting Bibles such as the 1858 “Pony Express Bible” that is a coveted artifact of the Old West or the Harper’s Illuminated and New Pictorial Bible (1843- 1846), which was the  most extensively illustrated American book up until its time.  There are also feats of the printer’s art such as the 1800 Giant Macklin Bible Seven-Volume Bible, which is considered among the most impressive Bibles ever printed.

If you have any questions about a Bible you may have (especially any printed before 1800), feel free to send photos to webuyrarebooks@gmail.com. We are happy to offer a free evaluation.

I thought it would be instructive to look at and appraise, in a step-by-step fashion, a Bible that was recently sent to us and which is shown in the photos below.

IDENTIFICATION:

The book we received was a 1580 copy of the Geneva Bible.  The Geneva Bible is one of the most significant translations of the Bible into English. It was first printed in 1560, a full 51 years before the King James Bible.  It is often referred to as the “Breeches Bible”, because of its translation of Genesis 3:7 (“they sewed figge tree leaves together, and made themselves breeches”).  The Geneva Bible  is  also considered to be the “Bible of the Protestant Reformation” and was naturally the Bible the Puritans held so dear as they stepped off the Mayflower.   The edition here from 1580 is an early edition and increasingly scarce in commerce.

As is often the case with the early Bibles, they are a complicated patchwork of various editions and parts.  This one consists of the following:

[I] The Booke of Common prayer and administration of the Sacraments : and other rites and ceremonies in the Church of England.Imprinted at London : By Christopher Barker …, 1580.  BOUND WITH.. The  Holy Byble.  Publisher: Imprinted at London : By Christopher Barker, printer to the Queenes Maiestie, 1580.  The Newe Testament Of Ovr Lord Iesus Christ Publisher: London: Imprinted by Christopher Barker, 1580.  BOUND WITH… Tvvo right profitable and fruitfull concordances : or large and ample tables alphabeticall. The first containing the interpretation of the Hebrue, Caldean, Greeke, and Latine wordes and names scateringly dispersed throughout the whole Bible: and the second comprehending all such principal vvordes and matters, as concerne the sense and meaning of the Scriptures. The further contents and vse of both the which tables, (for breuitie sake) is expressed more at large in the preface to the reader. Collected by R.F.H.Publisher: Imprinted at London : by Christopher Barker, printer to the Queenes Maiestie. Cum priuilegio Regiæ Maiestatis, [1580] BOUND WITH… Thomas Sternhold; John Hopkins; William Whittingham.  The whole boke of psalmes. Publisher: At London : Printed by Iohn Daye, dwelling ouer Aldersgate, 1580.

COMPLETENESS AND CONDITION:

Perhaps the first thing to consider in an appraisal, after the identification of the Bible and an assessment of its historical importance, is its completeness. Sadly, in the case of this particular Bible, it is NOT complete.  The first part bound, the Booke of Common Prayer,  is just a fragment.  The title page of the Old Testament is missing and has been replaced by a modern facsimile.  Finally, the Book is Psalms is also severely incomplete.   This certainly affects the value significantly as there is a very wide price disparity between complete copies and incomplete ones (especially when important pages are missing such as a title page).  As to the condition, when it comes to early bibles, as they were heavily used and often printed on inexpensive paper stock, one must be somewhat forgiving of the general browning and occasional stains found in the present example.

THE BINDING:

A full original binding (i.e.’ contemporary’ or period) is certainly the most desirable.   This Bible retains enough of the original English paneled calf (likely 17th century) to at least have that wonderful immediate impression of historical authenticity.  With that said, it has been re-backed, i.e. the spine is a period-style, but modern spine.   The paste-downs and the flyleaves are marbled paper and a bit anachronistic for a 16th century Bible.

THE PROVENANCE (PREVIOUS OWNERS):

Occasionally it is possible to find signatures or genealogical records that can tie a specific Bible with an important previous owner or prominent family. It would be lovely to find a copy of a Bible owned by Byron, for example.  In this example, we only have one early owner’s signature to the verso of the last leaf of the Book of Common Prayer: an “Edw. Shopard (likely Shepard) ” in a handsome 17th century calligraphic script.  While there is an early Puritan settler by that name, it is too common a name of the period to ascribe to any particular individual with any confidence.  So, insofar as we are concerned with this Bible, there is little provenance that can add to its value.

VALUE:

We might next turn to internet to look for similar examples.  With Bibles, this can be a treacherous starting point.  Often on the internet, it is possible to find similar Bibles quoted at very high sums.  These are often marketed to buyers that are not sophisticated book collectors, but perhaps just  people who want to own a nice old Bible and are not familiar with the market.   As an enthusiast of early printing, I must say that while I think early Bibles are grossly undervalued when compared to other collectibles, it is still possible to buy them at numerous regular book auctions and often at  surprisingly modest prices. Therefore, when looking for an accurate appraisal, most serious dealers turn to the auction records as a benchmark.

In the American Book Prices Database, it is easy to find a similar example of this Bible that sold in 2010 for approx. $475.  While the flaws are not identical, they are comparable. One should note that the Bible at auction likely possessed a more attractive binding than the present copy as it is described as having “blind-tooled calf with metal fittings”, which can be very handsome.

The auction record for a similar copy:
Bible in English – [New Testament Geneva-Tomson].  L: Christopher Barker, 1580 – Bound with The Sternhold Whole Booke of Psalmes, 1580. – 8vo, – contemp blind-tooled calf with metal fittings – worming to lower cover, rebacked, upper joint split – Bible lacking 1st title & all before E2; a few short tears with loss; 1 leaf def. Psalmes lacking c.25 leaves & with soiling & dampstaining – Bonhams, Oct 12, 2010, lot 206, £300 ($477) – STC 2129; Herbert 164

It is therefore not unreasonable to conclude that the present Bible at auction would command something on the order of $400.   That seems like a rather paltry some for such an interesting and early Bible.   I must agree that indeed it is!   If the general public were more appreciative of the wonder of holding a 16th century Bible in one’s hands, perhaps prices would be higher and booksellers would be happier

The Book:

[SCIENTIFIC INVENTION] [THE NEW WORLD] [EARLY ENCYCLOPEDIA] Pancirolli, Guido ;  Salmuth, Heinrich];  Guidonis Pancirolli rerum memorabilium sive deperditarum pars prior[-liber secundus] : commentarijs illustrata, et locis prope innumeris postremum aucta, Publisher: Francofurti : sumptibus Godefridi Schonwetteri, 1646.   The title-page is engraved.Title of v.2 reads: Nova reperta sive rerum memorabilium recens inventarum, & veteribus plane incognitarum … liber secundus. The second part completed by Heinrich Salmuth. 2 vols in 1.  COMPLETE. 2 vols in 1.  Small 4to, 21 cm.   Contemporary vellum with yapp edges, some chaffing to inner front board, small hoel to blank flyleaf, minor upper inner marginal stain to first few leaves, t.p. lightly browned, some light browning throughout,  last few leaves with some wear to l.r. margins.  Overall an attractive copy that contains the often missing second volume on the New World. [SOLD]

Guido Panciroli of Reggio, was a professor of law at Padua and a scholar with immense antiquarian interests.  This treatise, which was translated into Latin with copious annotations by Henry Salmuth, is considered the second most important book on “inventions” and the first to really touch upon the new world in any detail.  It follows in the footsteps of  the Italian humanist Polydore Vergil (1470-1555) whose popular and oft-reprinted work, On Discovery (De inventoribus rerum, 1499), was the first comprehensive account of discoveries and inventions written since antiquity.  Here Panciroli and Salmuth treat many diverse subjects, including the New World  (“De Novo Orbe”- Panciroli was in fact one of the first to use the term new world), alchemy, spectacles, tournaments, clocks, porcelain, falconry, as well as many particulars including  ”[Indian] knives made of stone, pictures made of bird feathers, and the famous Benzoar stone- that universal antidote for any poison.

The Book:
Brandis, Franz Adam.. Dess tirolischen Adlers immergrünendes Ehren-Kräntzel, oder, Zusammen gezogene Erzehlung jeniger schrifft-würdigsten Geschichten, so sich in den zehen nacheinander gefolgten Herrschungen der fürstlichen Graffschafft Tirol von Noë an, biss auff jetzige Zeit zugetragen.  Gedruckt zu Botzen [Bolzano] : Bey Paul Nicolaus Führer, im Iahr 1678. ||  Second part (with special register & pagination) has half-title: Dess tirolischen Adlers immergrunenden Ehren-Kra?ntzels, anderer Thail : handlent von den fu?rstlichen Stifften Trient vnd Brixen und so dann von dem Ursprung der vier Stande der furstlichen Graffschafft Tirol.|| Allegorical frontispiece and map drawn by author; twelve (12) engraved  plates display varying numbers of coats of arms.  Description: 4to., 20 cm;  [8], 234, [2], 224, [4] p., [14] leaves of plates (2 folded); 28 additional inserted maps and plates   UNIQUE EXTRA- ILLUSTRATED COPY: In additional to the 12 engraved heraldic plates, frontis. and map called for, this copy possesses 28 (TWENTY-EIGHT) fine folding Important Maps and Town Plans, carefully inserted into the relevant text sections, the majority signed in plate by the well known Augsburg Cartographer Gabriel Bodenehr (1664-1758).   18th century Calf, worn, text-block bowed, some toning and foxing.  Provenance: Important Brandenburg  provenance including heraldic ex-libris bookplate with motto “Mein Thun und Leben ist Gott ergeben (“My acts and my life are devoted to God”).  Ref: Graesse I, 519; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie III, 246.  VERY RARE; An ordinary edition with the 12 heraldic  plates only  appeared only 1 in 30 years of ABPC auction records.  [SOLD]

VERY INFLUENTIAL ON THE SPANISH MISSION IN THE NEW WORLD

DEMONSTRATES THE GROWING IMPORTANCE OF ST. FRANCIS IN RENAISSANCE ART AND LITERATURE

The Book:

[Liber conformitatum vite Beati Francisci ad vitam Jesu Christi, ed. J. Mapellus.] [Bartholomeus, de Pisis]. Opus auree [et] inexplicabilis bonitatis [et] continentie, conformitatu[m] scilicet vite Beati Fra[ncisci] ad vita[m] D. N[ost]ri Iesu [Christ]i. Impressum Mediolani : In edibus Zanoti Castilionei …, 1513.  (i.e.  Zanotto da Castiglione, Milan, August 18, 1513. ) COMPLETE. [12], 229, : ill. (woodcuts) . FOLIO.  29 cm.,  Early 20th century binding of brown goatskin and boards, raised bands, lightly blindstamped, vellum tipped corners, pasted-downs and blanks renewed, gothic type, two columns, title and another page printed in red and black, printer’s device, woodcuts, woodcut initials and borders; incuding  include  a magnificent woodcut of Christ and St. Francis, each carrying a cross, a splendid full-page “tree of conformity”, a smaller woodcut of Christ’s and St. Francis’ hands, nailed to the same Cross,Some occasional age-toning, browning, and scattered light worming,  Generally, a very good and attractive copy of a Rare work.  [SOLD]

One of the first and most striking aspects of this typographically beautiful book is its very remarkable North Italian woodcut initials, which lend great insight into early 16th century Italian publishing through the re-use of various blocks that circulated amongst publishers.

The work itself can be only fairly classified as a strange and unusual. The author attempted to establish parallels of the life  Francis of Assisi with that of Jesus. There are many fantastic tales detailed, but perhaps the author went too far by reinterpreting the Holy Scripture and detailing various prophesies about St. Francis’s life. Reformers noted these egregious liberties and blasted the work as “The Alkoran”.  It appeared, in part, under similarly colorful and disparaging titles in England; in 1550, as “The alcaron of the barefote friers, that is to say, an heap or number of the blasphemous and trifling doctrines of the wounded idole Saint Frances, taken out of the boke of his rules, called in latin, Liber conformitatum.” and again in 1679 as the  ”Alcoran of the Franciscans, or a Sink of Lyes and Blasphemies collected out of the “Book of the Conformities”

Perhaps though the author’s enthusiastic re-interpretation of St. Francis may be better understood in light of St. Francis’ profound veneration and his growing influence on early Renaissance art and literature.  The Liber conformitatum , originally composed 1385, would place it comfortably between Giotto’s St.Francis Frescos and Giovanni Bellini’s Ecstasy of St. Francis (1475-1480) which similarly may not have corresponded to any  specific legend of the saint’s known life and which established new iconographic motifs.  So, reinterpretation and invention may have been the norm.

It is interesting as well to note the influencet he Liber conformitatum had on the New World. Specifically, Kallendorf cites documentation on the dissemination and influence of the Liber conformitatum  on the Franciscans of Mexico.   In 1533, at the request of Hernán Cortés, Carlos V sent the first Franciscan monks with orders to establish a series of installations throughout the country and the Liber conformitatum played a “significant part in their spiritual formation”  [Ref: Kallendorf. Hilaire.  A New Companion to Hispanic Mysticism, pg. 95]

EXTREMELY RARE WITH THE ADDITIONAL 7 PAGE “PRAYER FOR ALL KINGS”

WONDERFUL PROVENANCE: THE FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE “BROXBOURNE COPY”

The Book:

A true and plaine declaration of the horrible treasons, practised by William Parry the traitor, against the Queenes Maiestie. The maner ofhis arraignment, conuiction and execution, together with the copies ofsundry letters of his and others, tending to diuers purposes, for theproofes of his treasons. Also an addition not impertinent thereunto,conteyning a short collection of his birth, education and course oflife. Moreouer, a fewe obseruations gathered of his owne wordes andwritings, for the farther manifestation of his most disloyall,deuilish and desperate purpose. At London : by C. B[arker]., [1585]Signatures: A-H⁴.Description:  53, 7 pg. ; small 4to.  with the veryrare addendum, likely issued as a separate imprint, even though thesignatures are continuous: “A prayer for all kings, princes countreyesand people” (caption title).  New STC 19342.  FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE. Morocco and cloth boards, a WIDE-MARGINED copy approx. 17.5 x 11.5 cm,,  some browning,most notable light marginal color discoloration of the first few leaves due to some very old expert repairs, a few marginal notes lightly shaved.Provenance: The Famous Broxbourne copy with ex-libris and Broxbourniana plate of John Ehrman  and  Albert Ehrman monogram; Sotheby’s, Nov 15, 1977, lot 300. Catalogue of valuable printed Books from the Broxbourne Library illustrating the Spread of Printing. The Property of John Ehrman The four-day sale realised an astonishing total of £1,297,000.  See another copy as well for comparison in 1978 with small textual variants: Sotheby’s,Nov 13, 1978, lot 198, $490  [SOLD]
“William Parry (or Parrie) (died 2 March 1585) was a Welsh doctor who considered assassinating Elizabeth I of England.In the household of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke until the Earl’s death in 1570, Parry then entered the Queen’s service. He appears to have involved himself in financial difficulties, and sought a commission from Lord Burghley to spy on Catholics on the Continent of Europe, with the idea of escaping his creditors. After two trips abroad, he assaulted one of his creditors in 1580 and was sentenced to death, but received a royal pardon. On a third trip abroad in 1582, he appears to have become a double agent, going over to the Catholic side and considering Elizabeth’s assassination. But on his return in 1584, he disclosed his dealings to the Queen, claiming to have done so only to cover Protestant plots. She pardoned and pensioned him, and rewarded him with a seat in Parliament for Queenborough. However, Parry was still unable to pay off his debts, and attempted to manufacture another plot to be “discovered”. His co-conspirator was John Somerville. He approached Sir Edmund Neville and suggested to him that they should ride up and shoot the Queen in her coach, or kill her during a private audience. According to some accounts, Parry did attempt to carry out the assassination, but lost his courage before he could do the deed. However, it is unclear whether he genuinely intended to kill the Queen, or to raise his own standing by “exposing” Neville. Examined by Sir Francis Walsingham, Parry confessed to plotting the murder, and was hanged, drawn and quartered at Westminster on 2 March 1585″ [Wikipedia]