Early Illustrated Books.
Pollard, Alfred W.

Octavo. xvi, 256pp. Illustrated throughout in black & white. A nice copy in gilt-stamped burgundy cloth, which is faded at the spine and edges. Booksellers' label to inner rear board.

A Leaf From the Nuremberg Chronicle, Latin Edition: Liber Chronicarum.

Folio. (1)pp. A leaf from the first edition of the seminal work of gathered information on Christendom. The text is Gothic letter, 64 lines to a page, with illustrations by Michael Wohlgemut. This particular leaf represents the "sexta etas mudi," from folii CL and CLI. The recto illustrates the line of high priests, and the verso illustrates Theodelinda (d. 628), Queen of the Lombards and daughter of Duke Garibald of Bavaria. The woodcuts also depict her first and second husbands, Authari and Agilulph. Some faint toning along inner margin, else a fine and crisp specimen from this milestone of early printing.

A Leaf from the Nuremberg Chronicle, German edition: Das Buch der Croniken und Geschicten.

Folio. (1) pp. A leaf representing folii LXXXIII and LXXXIV, from the seminal work of gathered information on Christendom and milestone of early printing. The text is Gothic letter, with wood engravings by Michael Wohlgemut. On the recto, two banners of Roman authors gesture and dialogue with one another, while the verso illustrates portions of the line of Syrian kings and the line of bishops. The images are neatly hand-colored in a contemporary hand. Text in German. Light dampstain to page edge with light scattered foxing, else a fine specimen of one of the greatest pieces of incunabula.

A Leaf From the 1497 Edition of the Pirated Nuremberg Chronicle Printed at Augsburg.

Small folio. (1) pp. Referred to "the highest form of flattery" by Adrian Wilson, the pirated edition of the Nuremberg Chronicle was printed at Augsburg by Johann Schoensperger four years after the original Latin and German editions. This is leaf represents folii CXIX and CXX from "Sexta etas mudi" [sic], illustrated with images of various martyrs and popes, and includes of list of martyrs. All woodcuts have been very neatly hand-colored, and many letters in the main text are rubricated. Text in Latin. Light soils to bottom page edge, else a very fine and crisp specimen.

Tierbücher aus fünf Jahrhunderten.
Nissen, Claus

Folio. 109 pp; 60 ff. One of 100 copies. Contains 60 illustrated leaves, each individually matted, out of important books on animals from Meydenbach's "Ortus Sanitatis" of 1491 to Mehl & Kahmann's "Kleine Säugetiere der Heimat..." of 1960-65. These plates are fully described in the quarto catalogue in wrappers (text in German), which is housed in a pocket inside the linen drop-back box. Of the 60 leaves two are incunabular, with woodcuts, eleven are 16th century, four are 17th century, about 20 are 18th, and only two are 20th century. Among the animals are von Schreber's squirrels and bats, and a stunning owl by George Edwards. Except for slight wrinkling to half-title page, this set is extremely fine.