Dibdin, Thomas Frognall; Spencer, George John [Bearb.]: Bibliotheca Spenceriana: or a descriptive catalogue of the books printed in the fifteenth century, and of many valuable first editions, in the library of George John Earl Spencer (Band 3) (London, 1814) [Cicognara, 4650-3]

194

MISCELLANEOUS. sAugshourg; 1468.

639. Ronaventura. MeditationesVit^; Christi.
Printed hy Gunther Zainer. Augsbourg. 1468.
Folio.

Editio Pkinceps. This is not only the earliest printed of the
numberless publications of Bonaventure, in the XVtli century, but it is
the first froduction of the Augsbourg pkess,with a date, and of
Gunther, or Ginther Zainer, the printer. The possession of sucli a
volume is therefore indispensable to the collector of rare books.—
‘ Editio, (says Braun,) merito rarissimis adnumeratur, cum Biblio-
graphorum principes eam ignorarunt/ Notit. Hist. Litt. pt. i. p. 124.
Braun has been so copious and pai’ticular, that we may only subjoin
the following description.

A table of contents occupies the sirst leaf. A prologue ensues.
This, and every full jiage, contains 35 lines. There are titles to the
several sections, but no spaces. On the reverse of the 71st and last
leaf, we read the colophon, iri two lines, thus:

Simpresgum e£t ijoc pgeng oguotuiu I augugta g me
43mU)trum tiictu $epner fce reutiingen. iiii.° ptiag
marcij. 3snno ijr.° octauo.

We have here again the omission of both the millenary and centenary
numbers; but the date of 1468 is unquestionable. The bibliographer
will do well to consult Zapf’s Annal. Typog. August. p. xv. Such
was the jiopularity of this performance, that not fewer than thirteen
editions of an Italian translation of it were printed in the XVth century:
see Panzer, vol. v. p. 145. The present is a large sound copy: in
russia binding.