Continental

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

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. BOOK OF HOURS,

    in Latin, from the Hours of the Virgin...

    Flanders or northern France, early 14th...

    An exquisite leaf from an exceptionally...

    £1800

  5. [GRADUAL.]

    Vast historiated initial ‘A’ cut from...

    Italy (Umbria), end of thirteenth century.

    A spectacular initial on the scale of a...

    £20000

  6. JOHN OF FREIBURG.

    Summa confessorum [and] Tractatus de instructione...

    France, mid-fourteenth century.

    From a large and well-decorated manuscript...

    £1500

  7. [BREVIARY.]

    Sarum Breviary, in Latin.

    England, first quarter of fifteenth century.

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

    £4250

  8. [ANTIPHONAL.]

    Antiphonal, with neumes, containing music...

    Southern Germany or Bohemia, mid-fifteenth...

    An unusual and striking antiphonal leaf...

    £3500

  9. [HOSPICE SAINT-NICOLAS, METZ.]

    Deed granting land to the hospice.

    Metz, 5 May 1464.

    A significant document recording the grant...

    £450

  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. EUSEBIUS CAESARIENSIS; RUFINUS AQUILEIENSIS, translator.

    Historia ecclesiastica.

    Rome, Johannes Philippus de Lignamine,...

    The Syston Park copy of the earliest history...

    £4500

  13. MEFFRET, Johann.

    Sermones Meffreth alias Ortulus regine...

    [Basel, Nicolaus Kesler, not after 1485.]

    A volume of sermons with early English...

    £6500

  14. THOMAS AQUINAS; Antonius PIZAMANUS, editor.

    Opuscula [with a life of St Thomas].

    Venice, Hermannus Liechtenstein, 7 September...

    First collected edition of seventy-one...

    £3750

  15. ANTONIUS de Vercellis. 

    Sermones quadragesimales de XII mirabilibus...

    Venice, Johannes and Gregorius de Gregoriis,...

    A remarkable copy of the first edition...

    £8500

  16. VORAGINE, Jacobus de.

    Sermones quadragesimales [– de tempore...

    [(Colophons:) Venice, Simon de Luere for...

    An annotated copy of Jacobus de Voragine’s...

    £3250

  17. [INDULGENCE.] 

    Letter of Indulgence (in Catalan),...

    [Lerida, Heinrich Botel, c. 1498.] 

    Extremely rare incunable indulgence in...

    £34000

  18. MACROBIUS, Ambrosius Theodosius.

    Somnium Scipionis ex Ciceronis libro De...

    Venice, Filippo Pinzi, 29 October 1500.

    Sixth and last incunable edition of Macrobius,...

    £9500

  19. URCEO, Antonio [or Codro]. 

    Hoc Codri volumine haec continentur. ...

    Bologna, Giovanni Antonio Benedetti, 7...

    First edition of a quintessential piece...

    £3000

  20. LACTANTIUS, Lucius Caelius Firmianus, et alii.

    Opera perquam accurate castigata: Graeco...

    [(Colophons:) Venice, Giovanni Tacuino...

    A closely read copy of Lactantius’s encyclopaedia...

    £2750