FINE BOOK # 4 Aesopus semper vivus - Peter Bichsel · Fine Books

60 Pages·2009·1.62 MB·English

FINEBOOK#4
Aesopussempervivus

Aesopus semper vivus
145 Illustrated Fable Books
from the 17th to the 20th Century
PeterBichselFINEBOOKS
FineandRareBooksofthe15thtothe21stCentury
Gerechtigkeitsgasse2,P.O.Box,CH–8027Zurich
Phone[phone],Fax[phone]
[email protected],Webwww.finebooks.ch
Previouscatalogues:
FINEBOOK#1
HeinrichBullinger(1504–1575)
Zum500.GeburtstagdesZürcherReformators
FINEBOOK#2
BibliothekKurtHirschfeld(1902–1964)
Widmungsexemplare,Autographen
FINEBOOK#3
«FürAndorFoldesherzlichst…»
DieSammlungvonWidmungsexemplarendesPianistenundWeltbürgers
BookdescriptionsPeterBichsel,Zurich
CataloguedesignUeliKleeb+CarolineLötscher,Zug
500copiesprintedbyDMGDruckerei,Zug
FrontispieceFrançisBarlow/RobertL’Estrange,no.9
2009©PeterBichselFINEBOOKS,Zurich
ILLUSTRATED FABLE BOOKS
The Fables … Paraphras’d in Verse, and
1 OGILBY. – Aesop.
adorn’dwithSculpturebyJohnOgilby.4partsin1vol.WithportraitplateofOgilby,
figurativefrontispieceshowingAesopsurroundedbyanimals,and81(i.e.80,since
nos.14and15areoneplateonly)numberedcopperplates,allengr.byFranzCleyn.
(16),64pp.;55,(1)pp.;55,(1)pp.;64pp.4to.Fullcalfoverfourraisedbandswith
spine label and gilt stamped year on spine (expertly rebacked).Armorial ex-libris
WilliamSlaneyKenyon-Slaneyonfirstpaste-down.
London,AndrewCrook,1651. CHF12’000.–(EUR8’000.–)
FirsteditionofOgilby’sverseparaphraseofAesop,thefirstimportantfableeditioninEngland
sinceCaxton’sparaphrasein1484.Thefables,afreeadaptationofAesopandaddressedto
childrenandadultsalike,expressquitefranklyOgilby’s(1600–1676)criticismofCromwell’s
(1649–1660)government.FranzCleyn(1582–1658)wasappointedbyJamesIasteachertothe
RoyalTapestryWorksinMorlakein1625.Hisdrawings,whichfollowverycloselythetextof
Ogilby,areinfluencedbythoseofMarcusGheeraertsinhisDutcheditionof1567.–
Bodemann
–Tearinmarginofplateno.6reinforcedonverso.4plateswithmargi-
70.1;Fabuladocet41.
nalpaperrestoration.Somebrowingandminorspotsthroughout.
Mythoi Aisopikoi. L. [i.e. 50] Esopische
2 GRIMM. – Aesop.
Fabeln.2partsin1.Suiteof54copperplatesbySimonGrimmplus4additionalplates
afterH.Goltz.Withsomeinterleavedblanksheets.4to.Recenthalfvellumwithcon-
temp.marbledboards(expertedlyrebacked).
Augsburg,SimonGrimm,(c.1657–c.1668). CHF12’800.–(EUR8’530.–)
Firstandonlyeditionofthisillustratedandfullyengraved«Aesop»,eachplatewithafigura-
tiveallegoricmedallionandaccompaniedbyatitle,aLatindistichonandaGermanfour-line
verse.Ourcopywith25platesinpartIand29platesinpartIIisprobablytheonlycompletecopy
known.TheBodemannand«Fabuladocet»catalogueslistincompletecopies,andthecopyheld
bytheAugsburgStaats-andStadtbibliothekalsocontainsbut48plates.Thetitleshowsnodate,
whilesomeplatesbearengraveddatesbetween1657and1668.Theallegoricmotifsareoften
embeddedinGermanlandscapes,somedeclaredasrealexistingsites(e.g.«Ziegelhüttebey
FrankfortamMain»,«zueBergen»,«Rheinfl.»,«ZuS.Gowär»).The17th-centuryAugsburg
painterandengraverSimonGrimmisdocumentedbetween1654and1669.Apartfromhispre-
sentmasterpiece,heisknownastheengraverof«DievornehmstenGebäude,BrunnenundTore
vonAugsburg»(1678).InadditiontothefableplatesbyGrimm,ourcopycontainsfourplates
depictingthefourelements«Terra»,«Aqua»,«Aer»,«Ignis»,thefirstonesigned«H.Goltzin-
vent».However,wecouldn’ttracetheseplatesinW.L.Strauss’catalogueraisonnéoftheen-
5
AESOPUS SEMPER VIVUS
gravingsofHendrikGoltzius(1558–1617).–
Bodemann72.1(47platesonly);Fabuladocet
–Plate«F»withresto-
108(35platesonly);HoffmannI,76f.;Thieme/BeckerXV,50(Grimm).
redmarginalteartouchingtheplatemargin.Innermarginsaffectedbyoldwormholesinplaces.
FabularumAesopiarumlibri
3 Laurentius,Johannes,S.J.,ed.
quinque.Withfrontispieceengr.byChr.Hagens,and103engr.vignettes.Title,(60),
462pp.,blankleaf,(204)pp.index,2blankleaves.8vo.Contemp.fullvellum.
Amsterdam,JohannesJanssonvanWaesbergeandwidowofElizeusWeyerstraet,
1667. CHF1’600.–(EUR1’070.–)
AuthoritativeeditionofPhaedrus,compiledandannotatedbythejuristandJesuitJohannes
Laurentius.Hiscommentarieshaveaspecialfocusonjuridicaluse.The103anonymousillus-
trationstothefablesdon’tfollowanyknownexamples.Theirmotifspointforwardtotheillus-
trationsofJanvanVianenintheearly18thcentury.Inthepresentcopythecorrectillustrations
totheprologueandfableXVofbookIIIareseparatelyinsertedasmountedsingleleavestore-
placethewrongengravingsprintedontothepage.–
Bodemann75.1;Fabuladocet68;Brunet
–Engr.ex-
IV,588(«recherchée…parrapportauxfigures»);Ebert16583.NotinLandwehr.
libriswitherasedowner’snameonfirstpaste-down.Averycleancopy.
Fables choisies, mises en vers.With
4 La Fontaine, (Jean) de.
118vignettesbyFrançoisChauveau.(56),284pp.,(3)leaves.Small4to.Orig.print-
edwrappersintransparentdust-jacket,untrimmed.
Paris,DenysThierry,1668(repr.Firmin-Didot1930). CHF1’200.–(EUR800.–)
Oneof600numberedcopiesoftheFirmin-DidotreprintofthefamousfirsteditionofLaFon-
taine’sfirst124fables,dedicatedtothesix-yearoldDauphinLouis,sonofLouisXIV.LaFon-
taine’s(1621–1695)fablesarealandmarkinthehistoryofworldliterature.Thefirstsixbooks
werere-issuedthreetimesintheyearofthefirsteditionandtheyearafter.BooksVIIandVIII
followedin1678,booksIXtoXIin1679.AXIIthbookpublishedin1694roundedoffthework
whichelevateditsauthortooneofthemostfamouspoets.Here:oneofthefewreprintswhich
arequiteasrareastheiroriginal.– –Cleancopy.
Cf.Bodemann77.1(1sted.);Fabuladocet47.
LesFablesd’Es-
5 VANDERBORCHT.–Baudoin,J(ean),ed.
opePhrygien.IllustréesdeDiscoursMoraux,Philosophiques,etPolitiques.Nouvelle
édition.Withengr.frontispieceand147engr.vignettesbyPietervanderBorcht.(5)
leaves,86,412,(8)pp.12mo.Contemp.calf,spinegilt,withlabels(rebacked).
Bruxelles,FrançoisFoppens,1669. CHF1’400.–(EUR930.–)
6
JohnOgilby,no.1
AESOPUS SEMPER VIVUS
Collectionof117AesopianfablescompiledbytheFrenchscholarJeanBaudoin(1590–1650)
withhislifeofAesop.Baudoin’scollectionwasfirstpublishedin1631inParis.TheBrussels
editionslikethepresentcontainadifferentseriesofillustrationsfromtheearlierPariseditions.
PietervanderBorcht(1545–1608)workedforthefamousPlantinprintersinAntwerp.–
Land-
wehr90(erroneouslycallsforfrontisp.+148engr.);cf.Bodemann67.3;Fabuladocet12(both
–Frontispiecewithms.dateinwhitemargin.Slightbrowningthroughout.
listingthe1682ed.).
Somedampstaintouppermarginofthelastleaves.
Fables choisies mises en
6 CAUSE. – La Fontaine, (Jean de).
vers.12booksin6partsin1vol.Titleinredandblack.Withengr.frontispiecebyRo-
meyndeHoogheand220(of235)engr.illus.byHendrikCause.(38),123pp.(lacking
pp. 1–6, 11–16, 97/98, and 2 unn. pp. of index); (2) pp., pp. 141–268 (lacking pp.
219/20,233/34),(2)pp.;117(lackingpp.1/2,49–64),(3)pp.;(2)pp.,pp.119–233,(3)
pp.;(8),108,(2)pp.Small8vo.19th-centuryhalfcalf,spinegilt(recentend-papers).
TheHague,HenryvanBulderen,1700. CHF950.–(EUR630.–)
SecondeditionofLaFontaine’sfableswiththefamouscopperillus.bytheAntwerpengraver
HendrikCause(1648–1699),pupilofRichardCollin,andwiththeengr.frontispiecebyR.de
Hooghe(or:deHooch;1645–1708)showingasatyrwithpan-pipeandterrestrialglobe.Thisse-
condedition,theonlyonerevisedbytheauthorhimself,wasfirstpublishedin1688(partsIto
IV)and1694(partV).HendrikCauseproducedtheplatesaftertheillustrationsbyFrançois
ChauveauintheParisfirstedition.ButsoonCause’sseriesbecamefamousinitsownrightand
isconsideredtobethebestofallChauveauadaptations.ThepresentcopyistheTheHaguere-
issueoftheyear1700(partsItoIV)withpartVfromtheoriginal1794TheHagueeditionwhich
isdesignated«livreVII»insteadof«livreVI».Althoughbeinganincompletecopy,itgivesava-
luableimpressionoftheintrinsicqualityandvalueofCause’sillustrations.–
Bodemann77.4
–Frontispiece
(partV)and77.8(partsI–IV);Fabuladocet48(2ndvol.only);Landwehr194.
withminorportiontornoffatlowerinnermargin.Someminormarginaltearsandfewpenciltra-
ces.Fewspots,nobrowningorfoxing.
7 PHAEDRUS. – Hoogstraten, David Franz van, ed. and
PhaedriFabularumAesopiarumLibriV…inusumserenissimiprincipisNas-
transl.
sauii.Titleprintedinredandblack.Withengr.figurativefrontispiecebyBoutatsafter
Goerée,foldingportraitbyP.vanGunstafterB.Vaillant,18engr.platesbyJanvan
Vianen,eachshowing6emblematicmedallions,manyengr.initials,head-andtail-
pieces,andengr.title-vignette.(16)leaves(incl.frontispieceandtitle),160pp.,(42)
8
ILLUSTRATED FABLE BOOKS
leavesindex.4to.Contemp.blindtooledcalfwithgiltletteredspine(rebacked).
Amsterdam,FranziskusHalma,1701. CHF1’800.–(EUR1’200.–)
Firsteditionofthisexquisitelyillustratededitionof94fablesoftheRomanfabulistPhaedrus
(1stcent.AD),translatedandannotatedbyD.F.vanHoogstraten(1658–1724)anddedicatedto
CrownPrinceJohnWilliamFrisoofNassau(1687–1711),whoseportraitopensthework.The
collectioniscompletedbyfivefablesadaptedbyMarquardGude(1635–1689)andbyPhaed-
rus’lifecompiledbytheStrasburgphilologistJohannesScheffer(1621–1679),whoassembled
allknownbiographicaldetailsofthisslaveliberatedbyAugustus.ThefinestDutchPhaedrus
edition.–
Bodemann94.1;Fabuladocet42;Landwehr247;Cohen/deRicci797f.(«trèsbelle
–Recentengr.ex-librisonfirstpaste-
édition,bienillustrée»);Sander1543;DibdinII,280.
down.Frontispiecewithsmallperforation,foldingplatewithtearrepairedonverso.Nofoxing
orspotingthroughout.Agoodcopyinall.
Reinekede
8 REINEKE.–(Hackmann,FriedrichAugust,ed.).
VosmitdemKoker.Withengr.frontispieceand2woodcutfigurativevignettesinthe
text.(9)leaves,380pp.Large8vo.Somewhatlatermarbledboardswithspinelabel.
Wolfenbüttel,Frytag,1711. CHF1’600.–(EUR1’070.–)
FirsteditionofHackmann’s(1678–1734)revisionoftheReinekeepos,are-editionofthe1498
Lubeckincunabula,togetherwiththe«Koker»(quiver)byHermannBote(c.1460–1520),a
collectionofproverbsandmoralsentences,hereinitsfirstprintededition.Intheintroductory
«Programma»HackmannofferstheproofthatHinricvonAlkmar(andnotNicolausBaumann)
isthefirsteditorofthispopularLow-Germanverseepos.Hackmann’seditionwasthebasisof
Gottsched’sHigh-Germanprosetranslationof1752.–
GoedekeI,483,18;Borchling/Clausen
–Some-
II,3885;Ebert18846;Jantz1264;KLL5206(«Koker»);DBEIV,299(Hackmann).
whatbrownedorfoxed.Frontisp.re-fixed.Ms.inscr.ininkdated1826attheendofthebook.
LesFablesd’Esope,et
9 BARLOW.–L’Estrange,(Roger),ed.
deplusieursautresexcellensmythologistes,accompagnéesdusensmoraletdesre-
flexions…Traduitesdel’Anglois.With136etchings(ofwhich1frontispieceand1
plate)byFrancisBarlow,partlyengr.byThomasDudley.LXXXIV,222,(2)pp.Small
4to.18th-centurystylehalfcalfoversixraisedbandswithgilt-letteredspinelabel.
Amsterdam,EstienneRoger,1714. CHF3’200.–(EUR2’130.–)
FirsteditionoftheFrenchtranslationof111fablesselectedandannotatedbySirRogerL’Es-
trange(1617–1705)andofhislifeofAesop.L’Estrange’sversionwasfirstpublishedinLondon
in 1692. Francis Barlow’s (1626–1704) etchings, highly influenced by the Dutch Marcus
9
AESOPUS SEMPER VIVUS
Gheeraerts,werepublishedforthefirsttimein1666.Textandillustrationswerepublishedto-
getherforthefirsttimeinthepresenteditionbyEstienneRoger,whotookoverBarlow’splates
in1704.–
Bodemann101.1;Fabuladocet13;Landwehr99;Cohen/deRicci350(«livreassez
–Modernex-libris«L.H.Dorrenboom»onfirstpaste-down.Fewcon-
rare»);Sander620.
temp.ms.additionstothe«reflexions».Tearinlowerwhitemarginofleafk1.LeafA3restored
onversowithlossofsometext.Frontispiecereinforcedfromverso,platebetweenpagesLXand
LXIwithsuppliedlowermargin.Spotontitle.Minorbrowningthroughout,agoodcopyinall.
Fablesnouvelles,dédiéesau
10 LaMotte,(AntoineHoudardde).
roy.Avecundiscourssurlafable.Withengr.frontispiece,afterCoypelbyTardieu,
engr.title-vignette,and101engr.vignettesinthetextbyGillot,Picart,a.o.XLII,358,
(2)pp.Royal4to.Contemp.calfover5raisedbands.Spinegiltwithlabel.Marbled
end-papers(outerfronthingestarting).
Paris,(J.B.Coignardfor)GrégoireDupuis,1719. CHF4’800.–(EUR3’200.–)
Firstedition(largepapercopy)ofLaMotte’s100fables,dividedintofivebooksandtogether
withhistheoretical«Discourssurlafable».LaMotte(1672–1731),aprogressiveexponentin
thesecondsocalled«querelledesanciensetdesmodernes»,canbeconsideredthemostimpor-
tantfabulistafterLaFontaine.HispersonalaimwastoachievetherenownofbothAesopand
LaFontaineatthesametime.Withtheintroducingdedicatoryfable«LaBelleetlemiroir»,La
MottetriesnotonlytohonourandadvisetheyoungKingLouisXVbutalsotogiveanexample
ofhisownstilisticidealslike«vraisemblence»,«unité»,and«bienséance».Thecoppervignet-
tesofwhichtwothirdsaredesignedandengravedbyWatteau’smasterClaudeGillot(1673–
1722)areanearlyhighlightofFrenchrococoillustration.«Theunerringtaste,theoriginalityof
composition,andagreatabilitytocreatewithafewstrokesabackgroundandamood,allthese
actedtogethertobringforthoneofthemostbeautifulillustratedbooksofthe18thcentury»
( ).Insomelatercopiesanindex
Fürstenberg,DasfranzösischeBuchim18.Jahrhundert,p.53
printedondifferentpaperisfoundattheendofthepreface.Ourcopyhasatitleindexinacon-
temporaryhandattheendofthebook.–
Bodemann105.1;Fabuladocet94;Cohen/deRicci
594f.(«Trèsbelleéditionrareetrecherchée»);Cioranescu36530;BrunetIII,801;Sander
–Fewsmallmarginaltears,minorwaterstaintolowermarginsinbookV.Somefoxingto
1095.
marginsoffirstleaves,occasionalspotsthroughout.
Fables.2vols.Withengr.titlevignette,and51text
11 Gay,(John).
vignettesbyJohnWoottonandWilliamKent(vol.I)andfrontispiece,16copperpla-
tes,andtitlevignettebyHubert-FrançoisGravelot(vol.II).(7)leaves,173pp.;(4)lea-
10