Continental

Contact Alex Day, Andrea Mazzocchi, Jonathan Harrison, Charlotte Miller or Sally Pettit

Our Continental department specialises in incunabula, Greek and Latin classics, early vernacular imprints, and notable texts from the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the early modern era, with a specific section devoted to medieval manuscripts, fragments, and illuminations.

We regularly issue lists and catalogues, offering a wide variety of literary, historical, and philosophical books printed in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, the Low Countries, Eastern Europe, and Russia.  Woodcuts, early engravings, notable bindings, notable marginalia, rare manuscript or printed survivals, and books with a remarkable provenance are among our keenest interests and feature regularly in our stock.

 
  1. ANTIPHONAL,

    with neumes, containing antiphons, responses...

    Germany, 1st half of 12th century. 

    Two bifolia from a notably early antiphonal. 

    £5000

  2. [ANTIPHONAL.]

    Very large historiated initial ‘H’...

    Italy (Siena), c. 1300.

    A very fine large initial painted in a...

    £6750

  3. BEDFORDSHIRE – ARLESEY.

    Charter of William Hoye of Arlesey (‘Auricheseya’)...

    Bedfordshire, 1st half of 13th century.

    Witnessed by Roger Burnard, William Rixpaud,...

    £1400

  4. [GRADUAL.]

    Vast historiated initial ‘A’ cut from...

    Italy (Umbria), end of thirteenth century.

    A spectacular initial on the scale of a...

    £20000

  5. JOHN OF FREIBURG.

    Summa confessorum [and] Tractatus de instructione...

    France, mid-fourteenth century.

    From a large and well-decorated manuscript...

    £1500

  6. [BREVIARY.]

    Sarum Breviary, in Latin.

    England, first quarter of fifteenth century.

    A fragment of twenty-one leaves from a...

    £4250

  7. [ANTIPHONAL.]

    Antiphonal, with neumes, containing music...

    Southern Germany or Bohemia, mid-fifteenth...

    An unusual and striking antiphonal leaf...

    £3500

  8. [HOSPICE SAINT-NICOLAS, METZ.]

    Deed granting land to the hospice.

    Metz, 5 May 1464.

    A significant document recording the grant...

    £450

  9. BALBUS, Johannes.

    Catholicon.

    [Strasbourg, The R-Printer (Adolf Rusch),...

    Third edition of the earliest printed lexicon,...

    £65000

  10. LACTANTIUS.

    Opera.

    [Venice,] Vindelinus de Spira, 1472.

    Magnificent incunable edition of the works...

    £25000

  11. AUGUSTINUS TRIUMPHUS [i.e. AUGUSTINUS de Ancona].  

    Summa de potestate ecclesiastica.

    Augsburg, [Johann Schüssler,] 6 March 1473.

    First edition of this highly important...

    £22500

  12. HERP, Hendrik.

    Speculum aureum decem praeceptorum Dei.

    [(Colophon:) Mainz, Peter Schoeffer, 10...

    First edition of this collection of sermons...

    £24000

  13. [BONIOHANNES de Messana, attributed.]

    Speculum sapiencie beati Cirilli episcopi...

    [Basel, Michael Wenssler, c. 1475.]

    An attractive early incunable edition of...

    £7250

  14. EUSEBIUS CAESARIENSIS; RUFINUS AQUILEIENSIS, translator.

    Historia ecclesiastica.

    Rome, Johannes Philippus de Lignamine,...

    The Syston Park copy of the earliest history...

    £4500

  15. THOMAS of Cantimpré.

    Bonum universale de proprietatibus apum.

    [Cologne, Johann Koelhoff, the Elder,...

    Second edition of this manual of moral...

    £6000

  16. [INCUNABLE SAMMELBAND.]

    Sammelband of ten works.

    Rome, Stephan Plannck and Eucharius Silber,...

    A sammelband of ten Roman incunables, nine...

    £25000

  17. PFEFFER DE WYDENBERG, Johannes.

    [Directorium sacerdotale.]

    [Basel, Johann Besicken, after 20 December...

    First and only incunable edition, very...

    £6500

  18. [SERMONS.]

    [Sermones sensati.]

    [(Colophon:) Gouda, Gerard Leeu, 20 February...

    First and only incunable edition of a rare...

    £8500

  19. [PSALTER.] [BRUNO, Archbishop of Würzburg, editor.]

    Psalterium.

    [Würzburg, Georg Reyser, c. 1488–1489.]

    First edition of the Psalter with the commentary...

    £24000

  20. MEFFRET, Johann.

    Sermones Meffreth alias Ortulus regine...

    [Basel, Nicolaus Kesler, not after 1485.]

    A volume of sermons with early English...

    £6500