Biblia das ist: die gantze heylige schrifft Teutsch…
Frankfurt, Johann Saur, aus Wetter, bei haer. Christian I Egenolff, 1599.
£1850
Folio. ff. (xviii) 272, 178, 129 (i), a-c 6 A-Z6 Aa-Yy6 A-Z6 Aa-Ff6 Gg4 a-u 6 y 8 . Lacking title-page and two final leaves. Gothic letter, double-column. Portrait of Christoph Herzog (1515-1568), Duke of Wuerttemberg, within elaborate border enclosing his coat of arms on second leaf; two additional titles with elaborate borders in sections representing biblical episodes, introducing the Book of Prophets and the Gospels. Decorated initials, tailpieces, and numerous attractive large woodcut vignettes throughout (signed with initials “V.” and “S.”). Page edges ragged in the beginning and the end, with occasional loss of marginal text. Repairs to outer margin of the initial three leaves and most leaves between ff. 136-178 of the Old Testament. Small tape repairs to reinforce tears on b6 (second quire). From leaf 116 of the Gospels onwards, margins damaged and rather worn. Some light marginal dampstaining and spotting throughout. Bound in contemporary blind-tooled German pigskin, very darkened, slightly wormed, ragged and rubbed to edges, with decorative rolls of floral motives, remains of ties. Interestingly and abundantly annotated in a C18th German hand on pastedowns and flyleaves. Overall very worn with many flaws affecting text and partial cropping of printed marginal references through a substantial part of the book. Plenty of attractive large illustrations.
VD16 B 2834.