Augustinus, Aurelius

De Trinitate

      Basel Johann Amerbach 1489. Printed by Johann Amerbach, sine loco [Basel], 1489. (Date from colophon (leaf m3v); name of printer from the twenty-line poem by Sebastian Brant on m6v, ending: ... Numine sancte tuo pater o tueare Ioanne[m] De amerbach: presens qui tibi pressit opus.) Text in Latin. SECOND EDITION, which is also the FIRST DATED edition, and the FIRST BASEL edition (first edition of this work was sine datum, sine loco, sine nomine [Strassburg: Printer of Henricus Ariminensis (Georg Reyser?), not after 1474]). This edition also includes (for the first time) a postfatory poem in ten distichs by Sebastian Brant (1458-1521), renowned German humanist and satirist, the author of the famous Ship of Fools. Very Scarce: only 8 copies in US libraries, according to ISTC. Physical description: FOLIO. Textblock measures 303 mm x 215 mm (12" x 8½"). Mid 20th century boards. Title and printing place and date in black on spine. All edges speckled. 86 unnumbered leaves (forming 172 pages). Signature collation: a-c8 d-l8,6 m6. COMPLETE! Printed in gothic types. Text in double columns, 54 lines per column. Initial spaces with guide-letters. Rubricated with paragraph marks and capitals struck in red, but with initial spaces not filled. One-line title in large gothic type on a1; colophon on m3v. Index (Tabula) on m3v-m6v. 20-line postfatory poem [by Sebastian Brant] indicating Amerbach as the printer after the Index on m6v. Provenance: MS ownership inscription (slightly cropped) of Ioannes Leuberus dated 1631 on top margin of a2r. Extensive MS annotations in Latin contemporary (late 15th- early 16th century) hand on title page (a1r), accompanied with a small drawing of a cross surrounded with initials (of an owner?). Condition: Very good+ to near fine. Binding slightly rubbed on edges. Extensive MS annotations in early hand on title page (a1r); a possession note (slightly cropped) dated 1631 on top margin of a2r. A few further faded marginal notations in early hand to several leaves in the beginning. Title slightly soiled. A small marginal wormhole to a1 and a2 (not affecting text). Otherwise, the text block is extremely clean, bright and fresh. Binding tight. An attractive, unrestored, original, complete exemplar. Bibliographic references: Hain-Copinger 2037; Goff A-1343; GW 2926; BMC III, 751 (IB.37314); Proctor 7581; Walsh (Harvard) 1167; Polain(B) 416; IGI 1054; Heckethorn (Basle), p.36. Folio, 12" x 8 1/2". Very Good Condition