The Scarce First Printing of the Council of Trent
Canones Et Decreta Sacrosancti Oecumenici Et Generalis Concilii Tridentini. Sub Paolo III. Ivlio III. Pio IIII, Pontificibus. Max.
Romae: Apub Paulum Manutium, Aldi F., 1564.
Scarce first printing and first folio edition. With no mention of index on title-page, pagination in Roman numerals, the final leaf dated MDLXIII, the undated privilege on verso of title-page and the incorrect catch-word on leaf F4. Folio (11 5/8 x 8 1/4 inches; 295 x 210 mm). [1]-239, [1, blank] pp. With large Aldine printer's device on title-page and woodcut initials. We could find only two other copies of this first printing at auction in the past 50 years.
Early full pigskin. Boards with some rubbing and soiling. Front free endpaper with repair to outer corner. Old ink notes on front pastedown. Some clean paper repairs to top margin of leaves A2-C2, with no loss of text. Minor worming to bottom margin of A1-B3, and top margins of F6-I4 and R1-V6. Some general light soiling occasionally to leaves and an occasional ink notation. Overall a very good copy of this scarce folio volume.
"In the early spring of 1564, Paolo Manuzio, the official printer of the papacy in Rome, signed the prefatory letter of his latest publication, just as he had done many times before in the course of his publishing history. The book was the first edition of the Tridentine decrees, which had taken several weeks to prepare... This crucial publication, however provides an illustrative case study of the Catholic use of printed propaganda, since it was the first time the establishment of the Roman Church attempted to implement a long-tern strategy towards printing by intervening in the European book trade... In 1564 Paolo Manuzio brought out three different folio editions of the decrees in Rome, followed by several further editions in smaller formats: Renouard mentions a quarto and six octavos... The first folio edition contained just the text, introduced by the papal privilege given to Manuzio's Roman publications in 1562 and a short address to the pious reader by Manuzio himself. In the second folio edition, indexes of dogmas and reforms were added, while the general papal privilege was replaced with one specifically promulgated for this edition. The third folio edition provided a more accurate text and reproduced the famous papal bull Benedictus Deus confirming the decisions taken by the Council." (The Council of Trent: Reform and Controversy in Europe and Beyond; By Violet Soen, Wim François).
Ahmanson-Murphy/UCLA 720. Renouard, Alde, 190:4. PMM 82 (this edition is mentioned in this).
HBS 68088.
$9,500.
Price: $9,500.00
Item #68088