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. [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. [ANTIPHONAL.]

    Antiphonal, with neumes, containing music...

    Southern Germany or Bohemia, mid-fifteenth...

    An unusual and striking antiphonal leaf...

    £3500

  7. [HOSPICE SAINT-NICOLAS, METZ.]

    Deed granting land to the hospice.

    Metz, 5 May 1464.

    A significant document recording the grant...

    £450

  8. BALBUS, Johannes.

    Catholicon.

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

    Third edition of the earliest printed lexicon,...

    £65000

  9. LACTANTIUS.

    Opera.

    [Venice,] Vindelinus de Spira, 1472.

    Magnificent incunable edition of the works...

    £25000

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

    Summa de potestate ecclesiastica.

    Augsburg, [Johann Schüssler,] 6 March 1473.

    First edition of this highly important...

    £22500

  11. HERP, Hendrik.

    Speculum aureum decem praeceptorum Dei.

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

    First edition of this collection of sermons...

    £24000

  12. EUSEBIUS CAESARIENSIS; RUFINUS AQUILEIENSIS, translator.

    Historia ecclesiastica.

    Rome, Johannes Philippus de Lignamine,...

    The Syston Park copy of the earliest history...

    £4500

  13. THOMAS of Cantimpré.

    Bonum universale de proprietatibus apum.

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

    Second edition of this manual of moral...

    £6000

  14. [INCUNABLE SAMMELBAND.]

    Sammelband of ten works.

    Rome, Stephan Plannck and Eucharius Silber,...

    A sammelband of ten Roman incunables, nine...

    £25000

  15. PFEFFER DE WYDENBERG, Johannes.

    [Directorium sacerdotale.]

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

    First and only incunable edition, very...

    £6500

  16. [SERMONS.]

    [Sermones sensati.]

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

    First and only incunable edition of a rare...

    £8500

  17. MEFFRET, Johann.

    Sermones Meffreth alias Ortulus regine...

    [Basel, Nicolaus Kesler, not after 1485.]

    A volume of sermons with early English...

    £6500

  18. THOMAS AQUINAS; Antonius PIZAMANUS, editor.

    Opuscula [with a life of St Thomas].

    Venice, Hermannus Liechtenstein, 7 September...

    First collected edition of seventy-one...

    £3750

  19. ANTONIUS de Vercellis. 

    Sermones quadragesimales de XII mirabilibus...

    Venice, Johannes and Gregorius de Gregoriis,...

    A remarkable copy of the first edition...

    £8500

  20. [THOMAS à Kempis.]

    Ioanni Gerson vulgare devota operetta della...

    Florence, Antonio Miscomini, 22 July 1493.

    Uncommon editions of two classic Latin...

    £5750