Very Early Manuscripts, Leaves and Books from Phillip J. Pirages
- by Michael Stillman
Early manuscripts, leaves and books from Phillip J. Pirages.
Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Manuscripts recently published their Catalogue 60. Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern (Mostly Illuminated) Manuscript Material as well as Books Printed before 1700 and Single Printed Leaves. What we have here is mostly very old, much written and illustrated by hand, mostly valuable for its artistic as much as its textual content. Each of those "mosts" have exceptions, but this is primarily antiquarian to very early work, often from the earliest days of printing (incunabula) or manuscripts older still. This is a collection of fine material that will appeal to the most serious of collectors. Here are just a few samples of the over 450 items herein offered.
Item 119 is a leaf from the first Bible printed in America. You might think such a Bible would be in English, or maybe Dutch or French or Latin. Instead, it is in the Algonquin language, barely in use any longer. This one is known as Eliot's Indian Bible, published in 1663, and it was the first of many Bibles printed in America to convert the various native tribes to Christianity. While one might think someone would have been publishing English language Bibles in America sooner, there was no pressing need. There were sufficient copies of English Bibles arriving from England to eliminate any urgent need to print the same here. Indian language Bibles, however, were not being printed in Europe, so it was necessary to create them here if one wanted to conduct a mission to the Indians. Eliot was a Massachusetts minister who undertook the massive job of translating the Bible into a language that previously had no written words. Priced at $2,500.
The year 1663 was early for printing in America, but the art was by then over two centuries old in Europe. During printing's first half century, the most thorough compendium of world history was a book today known as the Nuremburg Chronicle. Published in 1493, Hartmann Schedel of Nuremberg published this large, illustrated history of the world, going back to creation and running until just before Columbus set sail for the New World. Item 36 includes eight leaves and a bifolium from this work, each being offered separately. Most contain woodcut illustrations. Prices range from $20 (unillustrated index leaf) to $300 (illustrated bifolium).
Very early printed works in English are less common than those from Europe, notably Germany, as the latter is where printing began. Nonetheless, there was printing during the 15th century in England, starting with that of William Caxton, then evolving to his successor Wynkyn de Worde. Item 45 is a leaf from The Lyf of Saynt James the Lasse. This was a fourth edition, printed in 1498. The first two editions were printed by Caxton, while this one and the third came from de Worde. Item 45. $450.
Some books were older still. Item 19 is a leaf from Legenda Aurea by Jacobus de Voragine, circa 1479. It contains a woodcut of Paul on horseback, shielding his eyes from a blinding vision of Christ. The contemporary colorist has added a touch of his own, as Pirages explains, "An object, probably intended to be a crucifix but looking rather more like a tomahawk has been added to Paul's upraised hand…" $250.
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: APRES DE MANNEVILLETTE Le Neptune Oriental
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: CASSAS Eaux fortes de la Sicile et quelques vues d’Espagne
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: CASSINI DE THURY Carte générale et particulière de la France.
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: JOUY; GARNERAY Vues des côtes de France dans l'Océan et dans la Méditerranée
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: LA PÉROUSE Voyage autour du monde
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: LE GENTIL DE LA GALAISIERE Voyage dans les Mers de l’Inde
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: LICENT Hoang Ho, Pai Ho, Loan Ho, Leao Ho. Itinéraires suivis dans le bassin du golfe du Pei Tcheuly
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: FRENCH SCHOOL FROM THE 19th CENTURY Panorama d’Athènes
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: PEETERS Description des principales villes, havres et isles du golfe de Venise
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: PÉRON; FREYCINET Voyage de découverte aux terres australes
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: STACKELBERG La Grèce : vues pittoresques et topographiques.
Gros & Delettrez, 7 November: VALENTINER Atlas des Sonnensystems.
Forum Auctions Online Sale: The Detective Fiction Collection of John Cooper Ending 7th November, 2024
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). The Thirteen Problems, first edition, The Crime Club, 1932. £15,000 to £20,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). Dumb Witness, first edition, 1937. £3,000 to £4,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). Cards on the Table, first edition, The Crime Club, 1936. £2,000 to £3,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: [Carr (John Dickson)], "Carter Dickson" and John Rhode. Drop to his Death, first edition, Heinemann, [1939]. £600 to £800.
Forum, Nov. 7: Berkeley (Anthony). Jumping Jenny, first edition, Hodder and Stoughton, 1933. £800 to £1,200.
Forum Auctions Online Sale: The Detective Fiction Collection of John Cooper Ending 7th November, 2024
Forum, Nov. 7: Marsh (Ngaio). Overture to Death, first edition, The Crime Club, 1939. £600 to £800.
Forum, Nov. 7: [Day-Lewis (Cecil)] "Nicholas Blake". The Beast Must Die, first edition, 1938. £750 to £1,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Brand (Christianna). Green for Danger, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author, John Lane the Bodley Head, 1945. £600 to £800.
Forum, Nov. 7: Christie (Agatha). Murder is Easy, first edition, signed by the author, 1939. £3,000 to £4,000.
Forum, Nov. 7: Sayers (Dorothy L.) Lord Peter Views the Body, first edition, Gollancz, 1928. £6,000 to £8,000.
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RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
Sotheby's Fine Books, Manuscripts & More Available for Immediate Purchase
Sotheby’s: J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 11,135 USD
Sotheby’s: Edgar Allan Poe. The Raven and Other Poems, 1845. 33,000 USD
Sotheby’s: Leo Tolstoy, Clara Bow. War and Peace, 1886. 22,500 USD
Sotheby’s: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 1902. 7,500 USD
Sotheby’s: F. Scott Fitzgerald. This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, and Others, 1920-1941. 24,180 USD
Freeman’s | Hindman Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana November 14
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: LEROUX, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. FIRST AM. ED, FIRST ISSUE IN THE VERY RARE DUST JACKET. 1911. $6,000 – 8,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: GOULD, John. A Monograph of the Trochilidae...Humming-Birds. L., [1849-] 1861. $60,000 – 80,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: A COMPLETE RUN of Limited Editions Club publications, v.p. [mostly New York], 1929-2010. $50,000 – 60,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: ORWELL, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. Lon., 1949. FIRST EDITION IN A VERY FINE DUST JACKET. $6,000 – 8,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: GOULD. A Monograph of the Ramphastidae...Toucans. L., [1852-] 54. SECOND ED. $35,000 – 45,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14:The Federalist. NY, 1788. FIRST EDITION, THICK PAPER COPY. $60,000 – 80,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, Nov. 14: SELBY. Plates to Selby’s Illustrations of British Ornithology. Edin., [1833-] 34. $20,000 – 30,000.