{"title":"Spain","description":"\u003cp\u003eSpanish history, literature, culture, and art.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"lopez-de-sigura-ruy","title":"LOPEZ DE SIGURA, Ruy","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe first Italian translation, and second edition, of this fundamental treatise on chess by the Spanish Bishop Ruy Lopez de Segura; the very rare first Spanish text was published in Alcala de Henares in 1561. It was the first major chess book since Damiano's of 1512. L√≥pez de Segura was born in Zafra near Badajoz, probably of Marrano Jewish descent, and he studied and lived in Salamanca. Considered by many to be the first world chess champion, as he won the first modern chess tournament in Madrid, he was certainly one of the leading players of his day; there are still moves named after him such as the Ruy Lopez opening. In 1559-60 he went to Rome to attend an ecclesiastical conference and whilst there he defeated all the best players, including Leonardo di Bona. In 1561 he proposed the 50-move rule to claim a draw and introduced the word gambit (specifically, the Damiano Gambit). \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n It was an important time in the development of the game in Europe when Kings, Popes and gentlemen become patrons of chess players and organised matches at court. In 1574-75 King Philip II of Spain organised a tournament and invited all the top Italian players, though this time L√≥pez de Segura lost to Leonardo da Curtie and Paolo Boi, though impressing the King by playing a simultaneous blindfold tournament. Curtie who eventually won the tournament, received the princely prize of a thousand ducats. Ruy L√≥pez de Segura's book starts with a basic description of the game and then gives detailed examples of plays and tactics. It has been object of numerous studies and is considered one of the founding books of chess theory, it is also charmingly illustrated. An interesting copy of an important work.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"LOPEZ DE SIGURA, Ruy","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57816117674319,"sku":"L737","price":4850.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L737-5.jpg?v=1781795303"},{"product_id":"reserved-2","title":"CIEZA DE LEÓN, Pedro [with] LOPEZ DI GOMARA, Francesco","description":"\u003cp\u003ei) Pedro Cieza de León (1518-1584) served in the Indies under Pizarro and lived for 17 years in Peru. His ‘Istorie’ is based on this long stay and his travels from place to place in the “Great Kingdom”. Divided into 122 chapters it begins with the discovery of the Indies and the foundation of Panama, then describes historical events and geographical characteristics of the various provinces which Cieza visited, and offers a fascinating account of the habits of the indigenous peoples. “One of the more important sources for the early history of Peru. The author describes Peru’s resources, vegetation and Indian tribes from personal experience, and also comments on Spanish administration of the region” JFB C256 on the second ed. Cieza never published a sequel to this ‘Prima Parte’ (though according to Sabin p.73 it exists in ms.). Nonetheless, these two related essays by the Spanish-American historian Francisco Lopez de Gomara are habitually treated as the second and third parts, the first being a history of the Western Indies, the second of Mexico.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eii) Important early essay by Spanish-American historian Lopez de Gomara on the history of the New West Indies, “covering the discovery, early exploration and first settlement of the New World by the Spaniards,” (Sabin on 1564 ed). Beginning with a discussion of the nature and location of the ‘Antipodes’ – meaning those places on the opposite side of the world – the text moves on to discuss the life and times of Christopher Columbus and a wealth of information on the religions, customs, geographies and appearance, of i.a. Honduras, Cuba, Venezuela, Peru and Nicaragua. The text discusses the division of territories between the Spanish and the Portuguese, the lives and achievements of the principal conquistadors, conflicts and allegiances with the natives including the Incas and reports mass deaths amongst the local population due to the introduction of alien germs such as smallpox. Although Francisco López de Gómara (c. 1511-1566) never actually visited the New World, through his close acquaintance with Cortés and leading conquistadors he had unparalleled access to first-hand testimony and documentary sources making this work “indispensable to the student of Spanish affairs after the conquest” (Sabin) and a prime resource for 16th century Latin-American history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eiii) Continuation of Gomara’s history of the West Indies, dealing primarily with the conquest of Mexico and focused on the personality of Hernán Cortés, leader of the Spanish expedition. Cortes’ audacious adventures against Montezuma’s Mexican empire from 1518 onwards aroused great interest in his native Spain, and won rich and extensive colonies for Charles V. The work contains a considerable amount of biographical, anthropological and topographical information, in addition to a detailed and lively account of Cortes’ voyage and campaigns against the Aztecs, culminating in Spanish dominance over the former Aztec Empire. It concludes with a Nahuatl vocabulary and some general information on Aztec social customs, religious practices and cosmographical theories.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"CIEZA DE LEÓN, Pedro [with] LOPEZ DI GOMARA, Francesco","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57816122589519,"sku":"L794","price":9850.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/CIeza-de-Leon-L794-1.jpg?v=1781795286"},{"product_id":"acosta-jose-de","title":"ACOSTA, Jos é de","description":"\u003cp\u003eThird edition of these pioneering treatises on the geography, anthropology and evangelisation of South America, previously published in Salamanca in 1588\/1589 and 1595. Jos é de Acosta (1540-1600) was among the first Jesuit missionaries to embark for the Spanish New World. He spent much of his life in Peru. The main settlement of the order was at that time in the village of Juli, on Lake Titicaca. Here, a college was set up to study the languages of the natives, while the newly-funded Jesuit printing press issued the first printed book of the Americas in 1577. Later, Acosta moved to Lima and taught theology at the university. In the Third Council of Lima (1582-1583) reorganising the American church, Acosta took a very active part and became its official historian. Following an adventurous journey through Mexico, in 1587 he head back to Spain, where he was appointed head of the Jesuit college in Valladolid and later Salamanca. A prolific writer, he is mostly famous for his very successful Historia natural y moral de las Indias. This knowledgeable, realistic and detailed description of the New World was sought after and soon translated into Italian, French, German, Dutch and English. The Natura novi orbis opening this edition represents the early draft of the Historia. In it, Acosta provided the first account of altitude sickness, which affected him while crossing the Andes. He also divided the Amerindians into three categories, acknowledging the Incas and Aztecs as fairly advanced societies in the civilisation process. The second part comprises a very innovative essay on evangelisation. Acosta struggles to demonstrated to his contemporaries that Amerindians were part of the original God s plan for mankind and thus were not inferior creatures undeserved of being Christianised and saved. In grounding his argument, the idea that the first inhabitants of America migrated from the biblical world (specifically from Asia), played a crucial role. Indeed, he was the first writer to postulate the existence of a land bridge at the northern or southern extremities of the two continents, long before the discovery of the Bering Strait. In his missionary zeal, Acosta was much concerned with the preparation and morality of priests, who he encouraged to study the aboriginal languages as an essential part of their duties.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ACOSTA, Jos é de","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57816127439183,"sku":"L1787","price":2750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L1787-Acosta-666-e1436265905365.jpg?v=1781795273"},{"product_id":"velez-de-arcinega-francisco","title":"VÉLEZ DE ARCI√ëEGA, Francisco","description":"\u003cp\u003eRare first edition of a curious pharmaceutical compendium concerning the use of animal ingredients. Little is known about Francisco V élez de Arci√±ega, a respected chemist and writer active between 1593 and 1624. Born and educated in Toledo, he soon moved to Madrid, probably to work for the Spanish court. Although not at the forefront of the scholarly debate, his medical works in Latin and Spanish were widely read in contemporary Spain, especially his translation of the writings of the Syrian physician Mesue the Younger, died 1050. His Historia de los animals provides a colourful insight into the early seventeenth-century Spanish pharmacopeia. It is divided into five books, dealing with quadrupeds, reptiles, birds, fish and shellfish, illustrating how to take advantage of their healing properties with a bizarre mix of scientific intuition, classical mythology and zoology, religious superstition and trivial folklore. \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n One of the earliest owners of this copy appears to be a triad of monks, who inscribed their names ( Frater Antonius a Fonte, Frater Ysidorus de Hombrador, Frater Ferdinandus a Casteston ) into a simple circle before the colophon. The monasteries, at this time, were still the principal dispensary of medicine and remedies, especially for the ordinary people of the Catholic world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"VÉLEZ DE ARCI√ëEGA, Francisco","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57816133697871,"sku":"L2258","price":3850.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L2258-1.jpg?v=1781795252"},{"product_id":"casas-bartolome-de-las","title":"CASAS Bartolom é de las","description":"\u003cp\u003eSecond edition of the first Italian translation of Las Casas   Brevissima relation  a fundamental text in the history of the Spanish conquest, and in establishing the rights of indigenous Indians. Las Casas was the first great historian of the New World and famously argued the humanity of indigenous Americans and African slaves in the Valladolid debate of 1550-1551, against the counter-arguments of Juan Gin és de Sep√∫lveda. While a boy in 1493, he witnessed the return to Seville of Christopher Columbus after his first voyage, and later the same year Las Casas' father Pedro and several of his uncles embarked for the New World as members of Columbus' second expedition. With his father, Las Casas emigrated to the island of Hispaniola in 1502 under Nicol√°s de Ovando, and witnessed the brutalities committed against the Tainos. He played a significant historical role as an eyewitness to one of the most important eras in history as he made an abstract and copy of the diary Christopher Columbus kept of his voyages and incorporated much of Columbus writings, diary and log in his own history. Today, both the Columbus diary as well as the copy have disappeared but Las Casas' abstract survived. \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n His work is a primary source for the early period of Spanish Colonialism. In 1550 he took part in official debates on the status of indigenous peoples and used this opportunity to prepare a series of nine essays that subsequently appeared in Seville in 1552 and 1553. He was keenly aware of the power of the printed word, so much so he ignored the need to secure royal permissions before publishing. With their wide ranging indictment of Spanish atrocities, they had an immediate impact in Europe. They were widely translated and frequently reissued, especially in anti-Spanish contexts. Las Casas became Spain s witness against itself. The critique was particularly powerful because Las Casas was not only a master of philosophy and logic, he was an acute observer who reported on the situation of the native populations in an immediate and persuasive style. The work is of immense significance, both for its immediate effect in reforming the Spanish colonial system, and as an extremely early example of European concern with the human rights of indigenous peoples. It was his descriptions of the plight of the native populations that early modern Europeans remembered.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"CASAS Bartolom é de las","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57816135729487,"sku":"L2357","price":3950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L2357.jpg?v=1781795210"},{"product_id":"maldonado-juan","title":"MALDONADO, Juan","description":"\u003cp\u003eRare popular edition of this important and most influential treatise on Angels and Demons by the Jesuit Juan Maldonado, first published in 1605 in this French translation, though the lectures from which the work derived started in 1571. The work was particularly influential; two of the most important Catholic demonologists, Martin del Rio and the witch-hunting magistrate Pierre de Lancre, were among Maldonado's auditors, and both drew heavily on him in their own demonologies. This French translation, by Francois de La Borie, brought the work to a much wider audience.  Juan Maldonado, a Spanish Jesuit, was appointed in 1565 to the chair of theology at the College of Clermont, a recently founded Jesuit institution in Paris.   In the academic year 1571-1572, Maldonado gave a series of lectures on demons. These lectures were given on Sundays and holidays to maximize attendance and employed a simple Latin so that more people could understand them. Maldonado presented demonology in terms of the religious struggle between Catholics and Calvinists then convulsing France, emphasizing the connections between heretics, witches and demons. .. Much demonology coming from league supporters, such as the Spanish Jesuit and Parisian professor Juan Maldonado, strongly identified sorcery with heresy, endorsing a witch-hunt as complementary to a campaign to eradicate Protestant heresy. Even Catholics who opposed the League, such as Queen Catherine de Medici (1519-1589) and King Henri III (r. 1574-1589), were often portrayed as demonic witches. (Italians such as Catherine, numerous and unpopular in France, were also frequent targets of witchcraft accusations.) The only major sixteenth-century French demonologists to stand outside this tradition were France's only Protestant demonologist, Lambert Daneau, and Bodin, who despite his promotion of witch-hunting did not identify witches and Protestants.  William Burns Witch hunts in Europe and America. \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n  In his famous sermons about the nature of angels and Demons, given at the College of Clermont in Paris 1572, Maldonado, who was generally praised and accepted as a theological authority, answered the question,  si les corps peuvent estre changez en diverses formes par les d émons?  In citing well-known examples from classical literature, the Jesuit explained that Demons conducted metamorphosis in three different ways; As a real mutation as when the Egyptian sorcerers had changed their staffs into serpents. However, for Maldonado it remained impossible for demons to transform a human body in such a material way because of its soul and reason. Thus the demons achieved metamorphosis either as an apparition, which deluded both the enchanted and the bystander, or as a delusion which deceived only the enchanted. Maldonado stated that disbelievers in the facts of lycanthropy and shapeshifting acted like Calvinists who denied transubstantiation. Once and for all the Jesuit labelled all sceptics of shape-shifting as heretics and blasphemers.  Willem de Bl écourt.  Werewolf Histories .\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MALDONADO, Juan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57816141562191,"sku":"L2783","price":4950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L2783-1.jpg?v=1781795175"},{"product_id":"jimenez-de-rada-rodrigo","title":"JIMÉNEZ DE RADA, Rodrigo","description":"\u003cp\u003eVery uncommon, good copy of the second edition of the Chronicle of the  noble and eminent deeds  of King Ferdinand III (c.1199-1252), son of Alphonso IX of L éon and Berenguela de Castile. First published in 1516 upon the accession of Charles I, the first Habsburg on the Spanish throne the work celebrated the consolidation and territorial expansion of the united crowns of Castile and L éon by the hand of the pious Ferdinand III, who joined the Order of St Francis and was canonised in 1671. The narrative begins in the C12, with the reign of Alfonso IX, and concludes with Ferdinand III s death. Central to the  Chronica  is Ferdinand s conquest of Andalusia, with gory narratives of his battles against the Moors and the sieges of C√≥rdoba and Seville. Written by Don Rodrigo Jim énez de Rada (1170-1247), Archbishop of Toledo, and terminated by Jofre de Loaysa, it was modernised in spelling and edited by Diego L√≥pez de Cartagena, who also translated numerous Latin works into Castilian. It is one of the many successful medieval vernacular chronicles printed in Europe in the sixteenth century. These patriotic texts, addressed to the wider public, narrated the history of nations through the deeds of their kings, whilst functioning as dynastic  mirrors for princes  for the ruling monarchs. As shown by the arms on the t-p, this edition was dedicated to Charles I s son, Philip II. USTC records no surviving copies of the first edition of 1547.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"JIMÉNEZ DE RADA, Rodrigo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57816143593807,"sku":"L2778","price":7500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/20191120_144639-scaled.jpg?v=1781795170"},{"product_id":"mendoza-bernardino-de","title":"MENDOZA, Bernardino de","description":"\u003cp\u003eExceptionally rare first edition of the English translation of Mendoza s guide to military strategy by Sir Edwarde Hoby, first published in Madrid in 1577 and rewritten for an edition of 1595, as a guide for the future Phillip III. The work begins as a treatise on government. Mendoza explains the offices and shapes of armies and exhorts the prince both to behave as one (he ironically owes much here to Castiglione s  Courtier ) to take appropriate care and consideration in his decisions, with especial regard to defence in times of peace. The author had recently written a study of the Duke of Alva s campaigns in the Low Countries, published in 1592, and was certainly brought close to military thinking in his brilliant diplomatic career, as ambassador to England for 10 years until the execution of Mary Queen of Scots (an event he refers to obliquely) and orchestrator of the pro-Spanish  Ligue  in France, which he ended by arranging the marriage of Henry IV to Phillip III s sister.  The Author who had served in the Netherlands under Alva, gives a clear and succinct account of the generals system. In an interesting passage on cavalry, he pronounces for the lance against the pistol, and describes the manner of handling the former arm Mendoza was the inventor of a piece of artillery made of metal, firing a shot of one pound weight, which he says would pierce a two foot wall; but neither the range or the charge is given. pp. 82-147 are on seiges; pp. 148-165 on naval matters.  Cockle \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n  For Hoby, Guise was the epitome of the Renaissance general . We might wonder whether Hoby s intended audience appreciated the subtleties of his account of Guise s efforts at Calais, but Hoby himself was certainly aware of contemporary debates over the nature of effective military command. Two years after translating La Popelinière s  Histoire  he dedicated a translation of Bernardino de Mendoza s  Theorique and practise of warre , a treatise providing a first-hand account of the war in the Low Countries between 1567 and 1577, to his fellow Middle Temple Lawyer, Sir George Carew. Hoby served on diplomatic missions to Scotland and the continent, sat in the House of Commons and served as constable of Queenborough castle in Kent. His only recorded military experience was to accompany the Earl of Essex on the Cadiz expedition in 1596  Hoby s translation points to a new desire for objective, rational histories. .. This desire presumably overrode the potential objections that La Popelinère had been accused by Hugenots of a being a pro Catholic writer and the siege of Calais and the achievements of the Guise were not suitable subjects to be celebrated in English.  Joanna Bellis.  Representing War and Violence: 1250-1600.  \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n With exceptional provenance. From the library of the celebrated English bibliographer and collector William Herbert;  his edition of the  Typographical Antiquities  increased three times the size of the original of Ames. The unfinished edition of Dibdin has not superseded it, and it remains a monument of industry, and the foundation of our bibliography of old English literature.  DNB.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MENDOZA, Bernardino de","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57816153817423,"sku":"L2702","price":12500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/image-1_ec151296-d15c-47f9-83e7-345364a801d8.jpg?v=1781794926"},{"product_id":"teixeira-jose","title":"[TEIXEIRA, Jose]","description":"First edition in English, the Leconfield-Penrose copy of an important anti-Spanish treatise, presenting the  common sort of Castillians  as  maligne \u0026amp; perverse   full of pride, arrogancie, ambition, tyranie, \u0026amp; infidelitie . It also includes references to Brazil and the West Indies as well as an early account of Sir Francis Drake s 1589 Lisbon campaign, the largest naval force that had ever left England, that attempted to restore Don Antonio to the Portuguese throne.  This comprehensive plan was plainly far more than a counter-attacking raid: it amounted to a full-scale invasion of part of Portugal and her overseas territories. It was daring and ambitious, and Drake was obviously the man to direct the naval side of the operation, to complete the work of the Armada campaign and win fresh glory for himself and for English seafaring. In the event, the Portugal adventure of 1589 proved to be an unrelieved disaster, which achieved nothing, costs thousands of lives, and dragged Drake s reputation into the mire  Whitfield.  Sir Francis Drake.  This English translation from the French argues how best to defeat the Spanish threat, giving an account of the habits and character of Philip of Spain and a detailed history of recent dealings between England, Spain and Portugal. The work provides a valuable description of the contemporary states of those last two countries, the conditions of their peoples and especially their towns and cities and sources of national wealth. Incidentally it deals with the vast importance to Spain of its, and Portugal s, overseas possessions.   The anonymous tract A Treatise Paraenetical,.. exhorts the monarchs of France and England to attack Philip directly,  to restore unto libertie so many peoples and nations, whoe do crie and call for aide under the yoke and burthen of this tyrannie . In turn this would entail security for the aggressors, delivering  your owne subiects from the arms of the enemie . The likely author of the treatise paraenetical is no Protestant; purporting to be the translation of a treatise by an Aragonese subject of Philip II, the author is almost certainly P érez. The printed English version is strongly associated with Essex s circle: dedicated to Essex s close friend, Fulke Greville, Essex is described as a  Prince of the bloud Royall of England .. adorned with many moral vertues . The treatise was probably translated by Arthur Atye, Essex s client, who performed similar important works of Spanish translation for Essex.  Alexandra Gajda.  The Earl of Essex and Late Elizabethan Political Culture.    A rare and important work.","brand":"[TEIXEIRA, Jose]","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57816162140495,"sku":"L2979","price":7850.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L2979-title.jpg?v=1781794892"},{"product_id":"casas-bartolome-de-las-1","title":"CASAS, Bartolom é, de las","description":"\u003cp\u003eSecond edition of the first Italian translation of this major work of American colonisation. Bartolom é de las Casas (1484-1566) was among the most influential figures in the definition of juridical and social principles for the Spanish colonisation of the Americas. One of the earliest settlers, he freed his native slaves in 1515, later defending their rights in front of the Emperor Charles V. In the 1520s, he joined the Dominican order and acted as a missionary for several years. He was the first to be appointed to the office of  Protector of the Indios , responsible for the well-being of the natives in the colonies. Originally published as  Entre los remedios  in Seville in 1552,  Libert√†  first appeared in Italian in 1636 as  Il supplice schiavo indiano . Addressed to Charles V, it was a manifesto (in 20 points) against  encomienda , i.e., the Spanish settlers  practice, authorised by the Crown, of exacting tributes and forced labour from the natives. It gave fundamental contributions to  the development of a canon law seeking to keep separate the reasons of the evangelisation of new peoples and those of the state , and to reflections on the natural right of the natives and the necessity to balance evangelisation and human dignity (Dalla Torre, 9-10). Translated by the printer Marco Ginammi, but maintaining the Spanish original, the 1640 edition was dedicated to Odoardo Farnese, Duke of Parma, who had visited his bookshop in Venice. Ginammi, who had also printed Bartolom é s work on the conquest and destruction of the Indies, decided also to print that on the natives  right to freedom because  freedom should come before conquest . Ginammi was catering to the growing interest of the Venetian public in the conquest of the Indies and the particular success of Bartolom é s not always orthodox works. Indeed, Venetian readers,  proud of the independence of their territory , probably accepted more readily Bartolom é s statements in defence of freedom over subjection, which also  introduced several doubts on the legitimacy of the dominion of the Spanish government in America  (Serafin, 148). A remarkably influential early work on law, religion and human rights.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"CASAS, Bartolom é, de las","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57816164368719,"sku":"L3098","price":2250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/img_20190718_144604-scaled.jpg?v=1781794877"},{"product_id":"casas-bartolome-de-las-2","title":"CASAS, Bartolom é de las","description":"\u003cp\u003eA most interesting sammelband of Americana, with four works on the conquest of the New World, in the Italian translation with the original Spanish. Crucial are the prefaces and letters to the reader by Marco Gimanni printer of all four and translator of three which shed light on the understanding of the Spanish conquests. Bartolom é de las Casas (1484-1566) was among the most influential figures in the definition of juridical and social principles for the Spanish colonisation of the Americas. One of the earliest settlers, he freed his native slaves in 1515, later defending their rights in front of the Emperor Charles V. In the 1520s, he joined the Dominican order and acted as a missionary for several years. He was the first to be appointed to the office of  Protector of the Indios , responsible for the well-being of the natives in the colonies.  Istoria  first appeared, in the original Castilian of 1552 and the Italian translation by Giacomo Castellani, in 1626. The work is a harsh catalogue of the evils enacted by the Spaniards, divided chronologically by region. Las Casas portrayed a war of civilisations, inverting the traditional stance, in which the barbarian Spaniards were the perpetrators of cruelties against the gentle, sophisticated natives, with the Spanish government presented as a tyranny who should consider  how its crown conquered what is called the New World . In the preface, Gimanni calls it  the most tragic and most horrible history, which by human eyes, in the great theatre of the world, was ever seen. It shall certainly move those whose heart is not harder than stone . This sammelband features both the first edition of  Il supplice schiavo  (1636), and the second of 1640, with a slightly different title. Addressed to Charles V, it was a manifesto against  encomienda , i.e., the Spanish settlers  practice, authorised by the Crown, of exacting tributes and forced labour from the natives. It made fundamental contributions to  the development of a canon law seeking to keep separate the reasons of the evangelisation of new peoples and those of the state , and to reflections on the natural right of the natives and the necessity to balance evangelisation and human dignity (Dalla Torre, 9-10). The fourth work is the first edition of  Conquista delle Indie Occidentali , which includes the Spanish and Italian text of Las Casas s  Disputa, controuersia  (1552) and  Principia ad defendendam iusticiam Yndorum  (n.d.). It translates for the first time the summary of the Valladolid controversy, reported by Domingo de Soto, with Las Casas s arguments in defence of the natives and the objections of Sepulveda, imperial chronicler, with Las Casas s replies. Ginammi addresses his readers hoping  they shall see with political theology the true means which Princes should use to conquer kingdoms. Iron and blood were instruments way too cruel to subject souls. Those who believe they can teach peoples a new religion through the use of power and force, are mistaken . Venetian readers,  proud of the independence of their territory , probably accepted more readily Bartolom é s statements in defence of freedom over subjection, which also  introduced several doubts on the legitimacy of the dominion of the Spanish government in America  (Serafin, 148). \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n In the C17, this copy was in the library of James Hamilton (1606-49), 3rd Marquess and 1st Duke of Hamilton. He was a renowned art collector, and half his paintings came from Venice.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"CASAS, Bartolom é de las","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57820344615247,"sku":"L3355","price":5650.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/IMG_8355-scaled.jpg?v=1781794823"},{"product_id":"pereira-benito","title":"PEREIRA, Benito","description":"\u003cp\u003eScarce edition of this fascinating and successful treatise on magic, dreams and divination, and superstition, first printed in 1591. Benito Pereyra, SJ (1530-1610) was a major Spanish theologian, philosopher and exegete, and an influential professor at the Collegium Romanum. Inspired by his lectures, his numerous works, on subjects including psychology and mathematics, played an important role in the formation of the principles of  Jesuit science . His metaphysics and psychology in particular had  a significant impact on Protestant Germany and Holland  (Lamanna,  Benet Perera , 273). Based on ancient and modern sources, including Ficino, it groups together texts Pereyra had published as part of previous works: a chapter on alchemy from  De principiis , and two on dreams and astrology from his commentaries to the  Book of Daniel  and  Genesis  (Bulm,  Benedictus , 293). Pereyra begins the first book by distinguishing natural magic, based on the concealed and evident properties of things, from magic devoid of reason and truth, false and damaging, connected with demons, fraud and  maleficia , a danger to society. He proceeds with a study of demonic powers, with the assistance of magicians, the nature of miracles, as well as astrology, the kabbalah, necromancy and alchemy, with a conclusion on the origins of magic. The famous psychologist C.G. Jung devoted a long footnote in his  Psychology and Religion  to Pereyra s  excellent tract  about dreams, the second part of  De Magia . Pereyra identifies four causes of dreams bodily affections, emotional commotions of the mind, the power of demons, and true divine presence considering the functions of reason and will. Inspired by Pico s  Adversus astrologiam , the third part, on judicial astrology and divination, includes chapters on the vanity of oracles, demonic prophecies, the impossible mediation between Christian and astrological truth, astrologers  predictions (with mention of comets). For its attention to the powers and nature of demons, it has been considered  not only a treatise of witchcraft and magic, but also a manual of exorcism  (Bib. Esot. 3605). \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n Louis Alexandre Adolphe Gitton Duplessis (1800-1888) was a French lawyer, politician and bibliophile, whose collection was purchased en bloc by the architect Jules Édouard Potier de la Morandi√®re, after his death.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PEREIRA, Benito","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57820345893199,"sku":"L2606","price":3250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/IMG_8464-scaled.jpg?v=1781794815"},{"product_id":"las-casas-cristobal-de","title":"LAS CASAS, Cristobal de.","description":"\u003cp\u003eA very scarce Venetian edition of this important Italian-Spanish dictionary, with fascinating expunctions by an early prudish owner. The work of the obscure Sevillian lexicographer Crist‚àö‚â•bal de las Casas (d.1576), it was originally published in 1570 the first such bilingual dictionary, praised in the preface by the famous author Fernando de Herrera.  It was the first dictionary worthy of this name by which the Spanish language was compared to any other Romance language, excluding the polyglot dictionary of Ambrosio Calepino  (J.M. Lope Blanch). Las Casas probably learnt Tuscan during a stay in Italy, and his dictionary filled a major gap in the book market, the last Spanish (to Latin) dictionary having been published by Nebrija in 1495. Las Casas provided a way for Spanish-speaking readers to appreciate the wealth of the Tuscan language and literature, and to make it easier for Italians to learn Spanish, for diplomacy, trade, etc. The two parts, Tuscan-Castilian (15,000 lemmas) and Castilian-Tuscan (10,000 lemmas), were reliant on Calepino and Nebrija, but also featured numerous terms which had never been previously listed in a dictionary: e.g., desenquedernar \/ squadernare, that is, to have a book disbound and broken up into its constituent gatherings or sheets; salcizzo \/ salchichon (sausage); Berlingozzo \/ tortilla de huevos (a kind of flatbread); and turbante \/ turbante tocado turco (Turkish turban). The contemporary (most likely Italian) annotator of this copy carefully covered in ink, in the Tuscan-Spanish section, everyday words he deemed vulgar or inappropriate, concerning, that is, prostitutes (bagascia, bagascione, puttana), sexual intercourse (bugiarare, sodomitico, coito, fottere, sperma) and related body parts (coda, coglioni, cotale, fica, fregna), physiological functions (cacare), related body parts (chiappe, culo) and premises (cesso, cacatoio), and circumcision (circuncidado, preputio). He also corrected two inoffensive Italian translations.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"LAS CASAS, Cristobal de.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57820349137231,"sku":"L3518","price":1000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L3518-3.jpg?v=1781794801"},{"product_id":"de-las-casas-bartolome-with-grysius-johannes","title":"DE LAS CASAS, Bartolomé [with] GRYSIUS, Johannes.","description":"\u003cp\u003eFascinating Dutch translation of the ‘Brevíssima relación de la destrucción de las Indias’ (A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies) by Bartolomé de las Casas, first published in 1578 and based on the first edition in Spanish printed in Seville in 1552. A Spanish Dominican friar and missionary, de las Casas arrived in Hispaniola in 1502, where he worked for many years as a bishop and ‘Protector of the Indians’. He was the first to ever expose the oppression of indigenous peoples by Europeans in the Americas. The ‘Brevísima relación’ is his most famous and influential work, in which he describes the first years of the colonisation of the West Indies and denounces the atrocities committed by the colonizers against the natives. Not only had the Dutch translation of de las Casas been manipulated to make the Spaniards seem even crueler, but the volume also includes a series of vivid and detailed illustrations which were meant to visually reinforce the worst atrocities in the text, including torture and cannibalism. These are among the first images that Europeans encountered of the peoples of the Americas, realised by the famous Flemish engraver and publisher Theodor de Bry (1528-1598). As De Bry never visited the New World, he based his artworks on the drawings of other artists and on the accounts of explorers. In contrast to these sources, the native’s faces and figures in De Bry’s prints are unmistakably European, and often in poses that resemble Greco-Roman sculptures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLas Casas is bound with an abridged version of ‘Oorsprong en voortgang der Nederlandtscher beroerten’ (Origin and progress of the disturbances in the Netherlands), by the Dutch historian and minister Johannes Grysius printed in 1616. It is concerned with the brutal events of the Dutch Revolt (1566–1648), against the rule of the Habsburg King Philip II of Spain; it also includes a mention of Spanish massacre of French in Florida, as well as of the Spanish treatment of the American Indians. The Dutch printer Evertsen Cloppenburgh Jr (1571–1648) republished these two 1620 editions together as a single volume, with identical engraved title pages, in order to create a symbolic correspondence between the Old World and the New. In this second work, there are images of massacres in Brüssel, Rotterdam, Mechelen, Zutphen, Haarlem, Maastricht, and other cities. Interestingly, in some of them, the inhabitants of the Netherlands are naked like the Native Americans.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"DE LAS CASAS, Bartolomé [with] GRYSIUS, Johannes.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57859639771471,"sku":"L3138","price":3750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"caro-de-torres-francisco","title":"CARO DE TORRES, Francisco.","description":"\u003cp\u003eFirst edition of this remarkable history of the Spanish military orders, from their establishment in the Middle Ages to the reign of Philip II. Dedicated to Philip IV, this work represents a fundamental source of information about the military conquest of the New World. \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n Francisco Caro de Torres (c. 1550-1642) was a Spanish priest, soldier and writer. Born in Seville and son of a conquistador, he had first-hand information regarding military action in America: after fighting in Italy, Azores and the Netherlands, he sailed to Peru with Fernando de Torres, count of Villar, recently appointed viceroy. During the journey, as well as in Lima, Caro de Torres dedicated himself to historical readings, realising that:  the stories that were written in our language, both about the wars in Italy and in Flanders, and many of the events that happened in my presence were told in a way very different from how I had actually seen, heard and observed them  (Medina). Later, he joined the troops sent to Chile to assist Alonso de Sotomayor, the Chilean governor, and a solid friendship developed between them. In August 1592, Caro de Torres accompanied de Sotomayor, who was finishing his term as governor, to Panama, where they fought and defeated the English corsairs lead by the feared and celebrated admiral Sir Francis Drake. Back to Madrid, Caro de Torres dedicated the rest of his life to writing. \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n In the introduction to his  History of the Military orders , the author states that he composed an  official history , which highlights the nobility and greatness of the orders, focusing on the things that  must be imitated and do not give scandalous example . The first and second books contain the history of the military orders of Santiago, Calatrava and Alcantara, presented through a series of short chronological chapters dedicated to the various leaders of the orders ( Maestres , or  Grand masters ) who followed each other. The third book is the longest and most interesting, dealing with the Spanish conquests in the New World. It starts with the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, and it comprises long accounts of the wars in Chile, the conquest of Peru and Mexico by the famous conquistadores Francisco Pizarro and Hernan Cortes, as well as the actions of Sir Francis Drake and his death at Nombre de Dios. At the end, the author also included the Latin text of a series of Papal bulls concerning the establishment of three military orders and an apologia for the orders by Don Fernando Pizarro de Orellana, biographer and knight of the Order of Calatrava. \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n The finely engraved title page was realised by the Flemish engraver Alardo de Popma, active in Sevilla, Toledo and Madrid between 1617 and 1641.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"CARO DE TORRES, Francisco.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57859639935311,"sku":"L3720","price":3750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/DSC_8811.jpg?v=1781793764"},{"product_id":"philip-of-spain","title":"PHILIP OF SPAIN.","description":"Fascinating legal manuscript recording the judgement of the council of Novara in a dispute between two important noble families on the one side and the extremely prominent Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma on the other. The document is dated 7th July 1566 and concerns Johannes Francicsus Tornielli and Marcus Antonius Brusati and Franciscus Maria Plotus who is named as their associate. The court proceedings are richly described with a sense of immediacy; almost in the style of a stenographer. The manuscript commences with an address to Philip II, King of Spain, Sicily and Milan, and entreats him to approve the judgement of the council as presented to him and in making his final decree, to remove all discord. It is also stated that his judgement will set a precedent for future disputes of this kind. The council members and their relative superiority and status to one another are described, naming key members as  subscripti . The scene is then set: Sunday 7th July 1566, in the evening, at the palazzo of Novara.\r \r The case concerns  Vasa Argentea , silver cups or vases, that should be given or returned to Alexander Farnese and his wife by Tornielli and Brusati. However, the two accused state  ipsa vasa penes se se non adesse, \u0026amp; nescrire quid de eis factus sit  , they don t have the vases and they don t know what has happened to them. They then state they don t want to be members of the council anymore and withdraw from proceedings. A lengthy case follows including a long history of both families, where they are described as  nobilissima e dignissima  and a list of the various honours and high positions the family members hold is put forth. This is corroborated by extensive historical evidence from as early as the twelfth century. A number of streets and monuments in the modern city still bear their name. One could compare them to the fictional Montagues and Capulets as these two families of Novara were often engaged in fierce conflict.\r \r The final decree is as follows: 500 gold coins must be paid by Tornielli and Brusati and they lose their positions in the council and therefore their voices on important matters. The official stamp of the council was affixed, and presumably a copy would have been sent to Philip of Spain s court for its ratification. The manuscript is not only a valuable record of a considerable and exciting legal dispute but also provides in remarkable detail how proceedings were conducted, naming key players and explaining concepts and events.\r \r Alexander Farnese was a prominent Italian noble and condottiero and general of the Spanish army. The Farnese family were hugely influential in Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. He was sometime Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro and Governor of the Spanish Netherlands. His mother was the half-sister of Philip II of Spain and Alexander was raised and educated in Spain until his marriage. This dispute occurred when he was 21 years old, a year after his marriage to Maria of Portugal, when he had just established himself in the city of Parma. Historical records indicate Farnese s time in Parma was filled with hunting, riding and other leisurely activities, until he left to fight the Turks in 1571.","brand":"PHILIP OF SPAIN.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57859640000847,"sku":"L3636","price":5750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L3636-2.jpg?v=1781793764"},{"product_id":"acosta-cristobal","title":"ACOSTA, Cristóbal","description":"\u003cp\u003eFirst edition of this beautifully illustrated, influential work on medicinal plants of the East Indies. The splendid woodcuts are the first images of Indian flora printed in Europe, made from the author’s own accurate drawings.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA Portuguese doctor, naturalist and botanist, Cristóbal Acosta (c. 1525-1594) is considered a pioneer in the study of Indian plants and their use in pharmacology. He was born in Africa – in his works he calls himself ‘Africanus’ – possibly in Tangiers or Ceuta (Portuguese at the time) or in Cape Verde. Around 1550, after completing his studies in Arts and Medicine in Spain, he travelled as a soldier to India. In the city of Goa, he met the great physician and naturalist García da Orta, the first European to describe the indigenous drug plants of India in his ‘Coloquios dos simples’. Appointed personal physician of the viceroy Luís de Ataíde, Acosta returned to Goa in 1568 and spent many years studying the local flora and collecting botanical specimens from various parts of India. His ‘Tractado de las drogas’ is an illustrated adaptation of Da Orta’s earlier treatise, with a series of interesting additions of his own. Acosta states: “The learned Dr. Orta has written with curiosity and diligence, but he has used reports, whereas I have set down what I have seen with my own eyes and depicted from life”.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this work, Acosta describes a total of sixty-nine botanical species for medicinal use. Each entry contains an attractive illustration, a general description of the plant, its morphological elements (root, stem, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds), geographical environment, therapeutic and dietary properties, and finally commercialization and industrial uses. References to the great classical naturalists of Greco-Latin antiquity are combined with the traditional guidelines of Galenic therapy. Among the species described, we find: nutmeg, tamarind, coconut, ginger, cardamom, mango, rhubarb, and asafoetida. Some of them, such as cinnamon, black and white pepper, cloves, nutmeg or opium had not been mentioned by da Orta. The author also depicts a few native American plants, including the pineapple, amber, rubber tree, sugar cane and the “Indian fig” of Peru. At the end, there is a fascinating section titled ‘Tractado del Elephante y de sus calidades’, that is a ‘treatise on the elephant and its qualities’ – this is considered the first monograph on the Indian elephant printed in Europe. It includes a realistic drawing of an elephant leaning against the trunk of a coconut palm and another of a war elephant with a castle on its back. Acosta’s ‘Tractado’, is also among the first works to record words from the basque language.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe ex-libris of “Don Fernando de Henao Monjaraz” appears on several volumes held in the National Library of Madrid and in other Spanish libraries (Real Academia de la Lengua, Biblioteca de Palacio). A bibliophile and owner of a large book collection, Don Fernando is identified by most scholars as a relative of the Spanish poet and nobleman Gabriel de Henao Monjaraz (1589-1637) – possibly his son, but it must be noted that his father and brother had the same name. He might be the same Don Fernando de Henao Monjaraz, noble knight of Santiago, who enrolled in the ‘Escuela de Cristo’ (a catholic institution for secular priests) in 1659 and died in 1698.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ACOSTA, Cristóbal","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57859642360143,"sku":"L3694","price":15000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/1_15ce3ea0-c7fe-4aaa-8126-5dec9029f530.jpg?v=1781793750"},{"product_id":"ciruelo-pedro","title":"CIRUELO, Pedro.","description":"\u003cp\u003eA very good copy of this fascinating bestseller treatise in defence of  true astrology , against all forms of magical superstition, by the Spanish Pedro Ciruelo. First published in 1537, it was reprinted several times during the 16th century and widely disseminated in Spain. At the time, works on similar topics were commonly composed in Latin: this treatise, written in vernacular to reach a wider audience, is one of the few known examples in Spanish and the most famous of the early 16th century. \u003cbr\u003e\n A mathematician, astrologer and theologian, Pedro S‚àö¬∞nchez Ciruelo (c. 1470-1548) was born in Daroca (Aragon). After obtaining his Master of Arts at the University of Salamanca, he moved to Paris in 1492, where he alternated the teaching of Mathematics with the study of theology. Most of his scholarly production is concerned with creating a corpus of astrological knowledge not in conflict with Christian doctrine: he presented himself as a valid authority on the subject by virtue of his training as a theologian combined with his knowledge of mathematics and astronomy.  Reprobation of superstitions and witchcraft  is Ciruelo s most famous work, defined in the title as a  book necessary for all good Christians . Often mistakenly described as a manual of witchcraft, it is instead aimed to discredit magical practices from a theological and moral point of view. The author encourages proper Catholics and teaches the  ignorant , who are attracted by the fascination of supernatural powers, to avoid superstition and sorcery. \u003cbr\u003e\n Ciruelo discusses all kinds of superstitions known and practiced in his time and talks about people who seek to obtain benefits through illicit means. Interestingly, however, he does not blame them, as the culprit indicated is always the devil. The first book briefly presents the concepts of superstition and witchcraft, while the second is dedicated to condemning all forms of divination, including necromancy, predictive astrology, augury, palmistry, and dream interpretation. In particular, Ciruelo explains the difference between  true  and  false  astrology : the first, licit from the point of view of the Church, is based on the natural effects of the stars on air and water, which can affect weather and human health; the second, which tries to predicts human activities that are related to men s free will and chance, is instead diabolic and superstitious. In the third book on sorcery, the author attacks the use of spoken or written curses, charms and superstitious prayers, denouncing the activities of unofficial healers. He states:  Las palabras no tienen virtud natural , that is,  words have no natural powers . \u003cbr\u003e\n A remarkable edition, beautifully printed and embellished with two charming illustrations. The first, on verso of title page, portrays the scene of the crucifixion and it is surrounded by the text of the antiphon  Nos autem gloriari  (Galatians 6,14), within a decorative border. The second, on the last page, depicts St. Sebastian holding a ribbon banner with the phrase  aparta Se‚àö¬±or tu ira de sobre tu pueblo  and St. Roch with a guardian angel; below, the antiphon  Sancti per fidem vicerunt regna  (Hebrew 11,33).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"CIRUELO, Pedro.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57859642491215,"sku":"L3738","price":4750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/DSC_9142.jpg?v=1781793748"},{"product_id":"llull-ramon-1","title":"LLULL, Ramon.","description":"\u003cp\u003eBorn in the Kingdom of Majorca, Lull (or Raymond Lully or Raimundus Lullus, c.1232-c.1315) was a Franciscan tertiary, philosopher, and author of numerous works on theology, philosophy, astronomy and computation in Catalan, Latin and Arabic. Lullism developed from his philosophical approach, which examines ‘truth’ by deciphering and manipulating the letters of the alphabet. In fact, this complex philosophy anticipated work of elections and computational theory several centuries before their advent. Lull’s journey into mysticism began when he experienced a religious epiphany in which Jesus Christ appeared to him suspended in mid-air. Lull was a prolific missionary and preacher, especially in Northern Africa, but was beaten and stoned in Bougie, Algeria, dying the following year. He is one of the most important Spanish philosophical and religious figures in early modern history, the Ramon Lull University in Barcelona named in honour of his contributions to Spanish academia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e“How successful was the thesis of ‘De auditu kabbalistico’ in the 16th and 17th centuries, could be shown by the impressive reception of this treatise, which ranges from about Giordano Bruno, Claude Duret, Johann Heinrich Alsted and Athanasius Kircher up to Leibniz” (G. Kurz [ed], Meditation und Erinnerung in der Frühen Neuzeit, p 115; trans.). This is the first book that deepens and broadens the ars combinatorial method invented by Lull through which, by using diagrams, figures, or words, one could connect information in each field to get closer to universal knowledge as well as to be able to memorize it.“The rarest and most sought-after of Raymond Lulle’s works” (Biblioth. Stanislas de Guaita no. 530 and 1565, which only has the ed. of 1601).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eInterestingly, the total authorship of Lull has been contested, the work being also attributed to Pietro Mainardi (b. 1456). Mainardi was a prolific Kabbalist scholar and follower of Lull and Lullism. He did not sign the work, and therefore later editions like the present became ‘Opusculum Raymundinum’. Its success is attested by a number of documents and printed texts in which quotations from this work were combined with Lull’s own Kabbalistic texts. This is the third edition recorded in Palau, following 1518 and 1578 editions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e“Le plus rare et le plus recherché des ouvrages de Raymond Lulle, avec une vignette naïvement gravée sur bois et des figures hors texte. Ad. Franck dans son ouvrage sur la Kabbale consacre un long article à R. Lulle et à cet opuscule.” (Caillet 6846).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"LLULL, Ramon.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57859644227919,"sku":"L3552b","price":2750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/DSC_9421.jpg?v=1781793741"},{"product_id":"ortelius-abraham-1","title":"ORTELIUS, Abraham.","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis edition contains the first Western map of China and Japan as well as the first appearance of new maps of Florida, Peru and North Eastern Mexico. \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n A superb deluxe copy, finely coloured and profusely highlighted in silver and gold, of the first modern world atlas, in a luxury publisher s binding. A scholar, but primarily a publisher, Ortelius made his atlas attractive to the contemporary mannerist and baroque taste embellishing his maps with complex frames, countless ornamental illustrations and minute particulars. For this reason, the  Theatrum  was the most expensive book of its day and one of the most desired. Lavishly illuminated copies were hand-coloured by the  afzetters  (artists) of the prestigious school of Antwerp. Some of them were produced for presentation to important figures, but many were made on commission for wealthy clients and customised according to their specific requirements. Often, clients would send their requests for illuminated copies to Ortelius in person, who worked for many years as a decorator of maps himself. This copy is outstanding as every plate has details highlighted in gold and silver: the lettering, scales and compasses, fine borders of cartouches, sea waves, ship flags, sea creatures and the small characters  clothes. Such pervasive and expert application of gold and silver is rare, as it was the costliest form of decoration. The only comparable example sold at auction in recent years was from the magnificent library of the bibliophile and map collector Lord Wardington (Sotheby s, 10 Oct. 2006, 355). \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n Abraham Ortels, known as Ortelius (1527-1598) was a Brabantian cartographer and geographer. In 1547, he began his career as a map illuminator at Antwerp, where he also worked as a bookseller and print dealer. He travelled extensively around Europe, especially with the great cartographer and friend Mercator, and was appointed geographer to Philip II king of Spain. The  Theatre of the World  (first published in 1570), is a  landmark in cartographic publication  (PMM) which marks the beginning of the golden age of Dutch cartography. Ortelius called his atlas a  theatre  (Theatrum), because   rather than a simple collection of maps   it was conceived as the stage of a beautiful spectacle that takes the reader on an imaginary voyage throughout the entire known world. For this monumental project, he gathered individual maps of cartographers from all over Europe, reviewed and redrew them himself, then had them engraved by the artist Frans Hogenberg (1535 1590). For the first time, a complete picture of the globe was presented and equal attention was dedicated to every part of it, with detailed descriptions and scholarly citations. The structure of the atlas is simple: it opens with a map of the world, followed by continental maps of Europe, Asia, Africa and America, then it shows smaller regions within each continent. At the end,  Nomenclator Ptolemaicus  is a long list of geographical names. \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n  Theatrum  was an immediate success, and it became so popular that   between 1570 and 1612   over forty editions were produced in many different languages (Latin, Dutch, French, German and Spanish). This is the second Latin edition by Plantin, considerably improved and enlarged from the previous, comprising 112 double-page plates (the first edition contained 53) of which 24 are new additions. Among them, number 93 is the first map of China and Japan printed in Europe, remarkably containing Chinese characters in its description. Also new is number 8, depicting Peru, Florida and Guastecan (one of four plates dedicated to the Americas in this edition). Ortelius gives a colourful description of these regions: Peru is  the richest in gold of the entire world  and the inhabitants of Florida are  barbarians ( ) they ate spiders, ants, lizards, snakes and all sorts of venomous creatures and insects . Eight new plates were added to the  Parergon  (here in its second edition), an extremely fascinating section of the atlas with historical maps illustrating the geography of Roman times. Ortelius is the only Renaissance atlas maker who mentions his sources, and the list of contributors ( catalogum auctorum ) in this edition counts 134 names. \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n Ortelius  example was followed by generations of cartographers and his maps were consulted and studied non only by geographers. The maps of Asia and Africa displayed in this edition inspired the geography of Christopher Marlowe s great play Tamburlaine. The influence of  Theatrum  was immense, ultimately shaping the accepted vision of the world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ORTELIUS, Abraham.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57859647603023,"sku":"K171","price":195000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/1-1-1.jpg?v=1781793729"},{"product_id":"cervantes-saavedra-miguel-de-1","title":"CERVANTES SAAVEDRA., Miguel de.","description":"\u003cp\u003e.An outstanding English copy of one of the earliest editions of Don Quixote (first 1605) according to Ruis the best to date and the seventh overall. Most importantly, it was the first printed outside the Iberian peninsula, the edition that introduced the text to the non-Spanish world, and in particular to the readers of Northern Europe, who absolutely loved it. Often described as the first modern novel, copies were thoroughly read and examples in fine contemporary condition are rare. This copy was in England very soon after publication, the binding dates from the early years of the C17. Before the end of that century it was in the library of Arthur Charlett, Royal Chaplain, Master of University College Oxford, owner of a very extensive library - how many novels I wonder? He is probably responsible for the spine label and certainly the first  bookpile  bookplate in England (cf. David Pearson) which he commissioned in 1698 from Samuel Pepys. After his death, intestate his books were sold at auction and widely dispersed. The next identifiable private owner, Jean Peeters-Fontainas was the pre-eminent bibliographer of the Spanish imprints of the Low Countries, then part of the Spanish Empire.  \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n .Apart from vastly expanding Don Quixote s readership, Velpius also materially corrected and improved the text which is based on Cuesta s second edition (Madrid, 1605), but now shorn of its many errors and imperfections both of printing and in the text itself. As Alan Thomas used to remark, if you did not know who Cervantes was you would not be reading this, but the learned editors of Printing and the Mind of Man put it so well that it bears repetition:  \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n . What had begun as a simple satire broadened into a sweeping panorama of Spanish society; and it was this, the variety the liveliness, and the gibes at the famous, which won it instant fame. Its larger claims, the subdued pathos, its unusual humanity, were slower to be appreciated. But within months, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza had become legendary   Don Quixote is one of those universal works which are read by all ages at all times, and there are very few who have not at one time or another felt themselves to be Don Quixote confronting the windmills or Sancho Panza at the inn .   Printing and the Mind of Man 111 on the first edition. Bloom described Don Quixote as  to Spanish literature what Shakespeare is to English , these two great giants died on 23.rd. April 1616, the same day.  \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n Peeters-Fontainas 225 (this copy). Rius 7  En calidad del papel, finura de tipos y esmero de impresi‚àö‚â•n, es superior esta edicion ‚àö¬∞ las anteriores . Palau III 51981.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"CERVANTES SAAVEDRA., Miguel de.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57859652911439,"sku":"L3696","price":98500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L3696-1.jpg?v=1781793719"},{"product_id":"andres-juan","title":"ANDRÉS, Juan.","description":"\u003cp\u003e.First and only French translation of this rare and influential anti-Islamic polemic by the converted Spanish scholar Juan Andr és, first published in Spanish in 1515. This translation, by the French poet and Orientalist Guy Lef√®vre de la Boderie (1541-1598), was based on the Italian version of 1537.  \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n .Juan Andr és (active 1487 1515), was born in X‚àö‚Ćtiva, a small village in the Kingdom of Valencia. Raised as a Muslim and trained as an alfaqui (religious jurist) by his father, Andr és converted to Catholicism in 1487 and became a priest. He was sent by the monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella to preach Christianity and convert Muslims in Granada and Aragon. Andr és composed the  Confusion of the Muhammadan sect  as part of his mission: he explains his aims in the introduction:  I determined to compose the present treatise ( ) and herein briefly to collect the fabulous fictions, ridiculous discourses, impostures, bestialities, fooleries, villainies, inconveniencies, impossibilities, and contradictions, which that wicked Muhamed dispersed in the books of his Sect ( ) and my intent in publishing it, was that even the weakest judgements may perceive that in Muhamed s Law there is not any ground or reason how it can be true  (tr. adapted from the English version of 1652). \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n .The  Confusion  is a critique of Islam based on Islamic sources, in 12 chapters. The author begins sketching the life of Muhammad, then presents the contents of the Quran and Sunnah, and lists a series of arguments which can be brought against these texts in order to demonstrate that they are  false and do not contain the word of God  and  ridiculous things fit for men of little knowledge . Andr és talks about the Moors who rebelled against Muhammad, Muhammad s  wives and slaves , his ascension to Heaven and the numerous Heavens of the Moors. The last chapters are dedicated to the contradictions contained in the Quran, showing how the Quran itself approves Christian faith and presents Christ as  the most excellent Prophet that ever came into the world . Interestingly, due to containing extensive passages from the Quran and Sunnah   these are in transliterated Arabic and printed in italic   this work was banned by the Inquisition in Spain. For this reason, only two copies of the Spanish original are preserved today (British Library and Library of Congress).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ANDRÉS, Juan.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57859653960015,"sku":"L3952","price":3250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L3952-2.jpg?v=1781793716"},{"product_id":"philip-ii-of-spain","title":"PHILIP II OF SPAIN.","description":"\u003cp\u003ePhilip II of Spain (also known as Philip  the prudent ) reigned from 1556 to 1598, also serving as .jure uxoris ruler of England from his marriage to Mary Tudor in 1554, until her death in November 1558 a few weeks after this royal grant of privileges was issued. He was the son of Emperor Charles V, completed the building the palace of El Escorial and his reign saw the conquest of the Incas and the Philippines, bringing territories in every continent then known to Europeans under his direct control and ushering in the Spanish  Golden Age  of power and influence. The rule of Ferdinand and Isabella and Charles V are often seen as the very heights of European empire building in the Renaissance, but Philip II pushed this further, holding back the Ottoman advances into Eastern Europe and the Italian coastline, while also extending Spain s hold over the Americas and annexing Portugal and thus their wide ranging overseas colonies and maritime empire. In fact, the presence of the stylised sun and moon, and inscription  sol lucet  in his armorial device in the right-hand of the bas-de-page of the frontispiece here alludes to the observation of his contemporaries, that only he could truly say  sol mihi semper lucet  ( the sun always shines on me ). \u003cbr\u003e\n  \u003cbr\u003e\n Unlike the common Spanish royal grants of arms, this is a grant of extensive royal privileges including autonomous legal and juridical authority (.Carta de Privilegio Real), for the town of Heute, Castile-la-Mancha, and its inhabitants. Its style of decoration and scribal achievements can be closely located to the royal scribes and illuminators of the Castilian capital of Valladolid   Philip II s birthplace and the main site of his court. Huete   sited to the south-west of Madrid, as part of a ring of settlements that surround that city, including the sixteenth-century royal winter palace of Aranjuez   was well known to Philip II, and within his circle of immediate influence. An attractive and interesting ms. from the centre of Spanish royal power at its highest grandeur.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PHILIP II OF SPAIN.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57859657105743,"sku":"L3864","price":4750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L3864-2-1.jpg?v=1781793708"},{"product_id":"najera-antonio-de-1","title":"NAJERA, Antonio de.","description":"\u003cp\u003e.A good, clean copy of this scarce work, in Spanish, on weather prediction based on planetary observations the first astrological primer printed in Portugal. The Castilian Antonio de Najera (fl. C17), of whom little is known, was a cosmographer in Portugal, a skilled mathematician, and the author of works on navigation and astrology.  The lack of printed astrological manuals in the Portuguese and even in the Spanish languages in the early decades of the C17 made almanacs [ reportorios ] the main source for astrological knowledge for those who could not read Latin.   The reportorios were a genre somewhere in between a specialist ephemeris and a basic popular almanac.   The combination of the common language, popularity, and astrological doctrine made the reportorios of particular concern for the inquisition because of the wider range of readership  (Ribeiro, 64).  Summa astrologica  berates weather prognostications in such almanacs, produced by  ignorant  astrologers and  charlatans . It defends instead the value of  correct  judicial astrology in answer to the accusations of vagueness and uncertainty moved by science. This Najera opposes incorrect predictions,  which are made without method, without science; which defy current knowledge, and utter, like gipsies, vain and monstrous things, in order to charm the people, who will believe them to be oracles . Prognostications properly done, and their ancient tradition, he believes most important, the correct knowledge of meteorological phenomena being necessary for agriculture, farming, navigation and travel on land, and conducive to good government. The first part introduces the movements and influence of planets, their qualities in relation to the zodiac, the latter s properties in relation to the sun and fixed stars, and the celestial position of some fixed stars (calculated for Lisbon using Tycho Brahe s observations for the year 1632).  The work appears to be intended for readers who already know astrology, as shown by the fact that Najera does not show how to produce a horoscope  (Cantamessa). The second part explains how to create predictions through a study of eclipses, the time of the year and lunar phases, following Ptolemy s theories. It also examines the movement of the air, and the weather accidents it causes, following the doctrines of Albumazar, Alkindo and Messalach. The final part is devoted to specific weather phenomena, including snow, hail, wind, tempests, lightning, earthquakes and flooding. Scarce.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"NAJERA, Antonio de.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57859657990479,"sku":"L3984","price":2250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L3984-4.jpg?v=1781793706"},{"product_id":"zapata-giovanni-battista","title":"ZAPATA, Giovanni Battista.","description":"\u003cp\u003e.A good copy of the fourth edition of this popular and most interesting book of medical secrets, in Italian. Giovanni Battista Zapata (b.1520) was a physician and surgeon of Spanish origins who practised in Italy. First published in Rome in 1577 and edited by Zapata s pupil, Giuseppe Scienza,  Li maravigliosi segreti   deals   with the treatment of a great number of ailments, and explains the preparation of the necessary remedies  ; it contains a good deal of chemistry as applied to pharmacy. This makes it valuable for the history of the science, for here we get the processes employed 300 years ago for preparing certain well-known compounds, uncomplicated by any theoretical views about elements or transmutation  (Ferguson). The work opens with a detailed index, head to foot, of  loci  discussed in the chapters, such as  epilepsy can be treated with the quintessence of rosemary  (used pulverised or in vapours for many other conditions) or  St Anthony s fire healed with Aesculapius s water  (also used to treat syphilis and the plague), as well as references to specific remedies, many invented by Zapata, e.g.,  our universal syrup ,  our remedy ,  our ointment , etc., mostly made from rosemary, apples, vitriol or antimony. Among hundreds of recipes are also a few surgical secrets, such as the healing of eyes by cutting the arteries on the forehead. Those  easy remedies  were devised to be accessible to non-professionals as well; the first chapter begins with an appeal to the popular reader:  I believe that you poor people, without wealth, find yourself worrying about your infirmities, for the physical pain but also for the lack of means, so that you cannot be helped and healed as you should be.  The appeal is followed by a brief critique of the way the wealthy are treated, using useless remedies such as the ingestion of crushed gemstones or gold. Each short section is written in colloquial Italian and explains in plain language the simple procedures ( it can be carried out in a quarter of an hour ) for the preparation of a remedy and how it will improve or treat a condition. Zapata even mentions  sales representatives , often former patients, such as a poor lady called Giulia who sang and played to earn money throughout Italy, with her children and husband, and sold a  miraculous  balm produced by Zapata. Among the  secrets  discussed are also a few non-medical, e.g., the use of water made of vitriol residue with which one can make iron look like gold and dye sheets yellow. A most interesting work shedding light on early modern popular medicine.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ZAPATA, Giovanni Battista.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57859659661647,"sku":"L4053","price":1950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L4053-4.jpg?v=1781793703"},{"product_id":"macrobius-2","title":"MACROBIUS.","description":"\u003cp\u003eA very good copy, with contemporary Spanish provenance, of this attractive incunabular edition of two of the most influential works of late antiquity – the first being ‘the most satisfactory and widely read Latin compendium on Neoplatonism that existed during the Middle Ages’ (DSB).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMacrobius (fl. early 5thC) was a poet probably born in Greek-speaking areas of the Roman Empire. ‘Somnium Scipionis’, part of Book VI of Cicero’s ‘De Republica’, recounts the dream vision of the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus, two years before the fall of Carthage in 146BC. Visited in his sleep by his late grandfather Scipio Africanus, he is foretold his future and given a ‘mystical’ overview of the Earth from the heavens, its climatic zones, and the workings of the celestial spheres and planets, with Stoic discussions of the nature of the soul, the gods and virtue. Macrobius’s Neoplatonic commentary to Cicero’s text contributed to its enormous success through the middle ages down to the Renaissance, with hundreds of extant mss. Of particular interest, to the likes of Dante and Chaucer, were his theories of music, astronomy and the interpretation of dreams, i.e., how to determine which were predictive of events, and which were not, as well as the cosmographical information he provided, with ‘lengthy excursuses on Pythagorean number lore, cosmography, world geography and the harmony of the spheres’ (DSB). Ms and printed copies quickly absorbed the visual aids of medieval cartography, with the presence of diagrams and, as here, a woodcut map illustrating the climatic zones Scipio Aemilianus sees in his dream. The map in this edition shows the Red Sea, Ethiopia, Europe, India, the Ocean and, in the south, ‘Temperata Antipodum nobis incognita’, i.e., today’s Australia and Antarctica. Organized in the guise of a conversation during the holiday of the Saturnalia, Macrobius’s  ‘Saturnalia’ is a treasure trove of information on antiquity, based on a variety of ancient sources and authorities. Among the hundreds of topics discussed are the Roman calendar and its festivities, religion, rhetoric, luxury, sumptuary laws and ancient authors, such as Vergil, whose Homeric influence is also analysed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese were eminent university textbooks for centuries. ‘Among the roughly 150 manuscripts recorded by Destombes dating from 1200 to 1500 AD nearly 100 contain a simple map illustrating Macrobius’s theories’ (Shirley 13) .The early owner, Pedro Vasquez, purchased it in Alcalà de Henares (‘Compluti’) in 1516. A similar inscription – where he signed himself ‘Hispaniensis Catholicus’ – is also present in a student edition of Apuleius and Statius, printed by Pincius, now at the Univ. of Seville Library. Vasquez was most likely a student in Alcalà. In our inscription, he records the death, in the year he bought this book, of the benefactor Cardinal Domingos Francisco Simodes or Simonides [i.e., Simoes or Simois] of the ‘collegia complutensia’, i.e., the conglomeration of colleges which formed the kernel of the University of Alcalà from 1512. He also records the price of the book, most probably unbound – 4 ½ silver coins (i.e., pesos). Among the professors at the time was the mathematician Pedro Ciruelo.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MACROBIUS.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57859668246863,"sku":"L2959","price":8500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L2959-6.jpg?v=1781793684"},{"product_id":"giovio-paolo-domenichi-ludovico","title":"GIOVIO, Paolo; DOMENICHI, Ludovico.","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe charming contemporary binding, produced in a skilled provincial workshop most probably in Tuscany, displays the influence of 1540s-early 1550s Roman bookbinding. The models for the curl tools and the geometrical knot on the inner border are found on bindings produced for the great bibliophiles Giovanni Battista Grimaldi (cf. de Marinis I, 739, 751) and Antonio Filareto (cf. de Marinis I, 857). In the second half of the C16, the ‘pilgrim’ watermark, on the eps here, appears most frequently in north-western Italy, but also Pisa and Sicily (cf. Briquet).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA very good copy of the second edition in Italian of Paolo Giovio’s famous biography of the Spanish general Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1453-1515), considered the first to make gunpowder weapons an integral part of warfare. Written in Latin c.1525 and published by the historian Giovio (1483-1552) in 1549, it was translated into Italian by Ludovico Domenichi in 1550. Known as ‘El Gran Capitán’, Fernández de Córdoba was a key figure in the Conquest of Granada (1481-91) and the Italian Wars (1494-1505). ‘The ambassador of Charles V to Rome, Luis Fernández de Córdoba, duke of Sessa, commissioned Giovio to vindicate the reputation of his father-in-law, Gonzalo, the most brilliant general of the age. After winning the kingdom of Naples from the French, the “great captain” had been forced into retirement in Spain by the jealousy of Ferdinand of Aragon, who suspected him of wanting the crown of Naples for himself, and the duke of Sessa feared that the great soldier’s reputation was being diminished by official annalists and “foolish poets”’ (Zimmerman, p.65). The work begins with Domenichini and Giovio’s dedications to the Captain, proceeding with the faction wars of the house of Córdoba, a detailed account of Gonzalo’s feats at the siege to reconquer Granada from Muslim dominion, and during the Italian Wars whereby Naples was brought under Spanish rule. Giovio’s work achieved great popularity, rescuing the reputation of the captain who first integrated the use of gunpowder weapons into the Spanish artillery, with the help of battlefield fortifications.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"GIOVIO, Paolo; DOMENICHI, Ludovico.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57868671320399,"sku":"L3752","price":4950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L3752-1.jpg?v=1781793663"},{"product_id":"cervantes-saavedra-miguel-de-2","title":"CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, Miguel de.","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe first complete edition in English, and the first English edition of Part II, of this ground-breaking literary work – the first modern European novel, rarely found complete, as a uniform set. Attributed to Renold Elstrack, the engraved frontispiece, which reprised the title vignette of the first 1618 French edition, was the illustration of Don Quixote and Sancho to appear in print.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘“Don Quixote” is one of those universal works which are read by all ages at all times, and there are very few who have not at one time or another felt themselves to be Don Quixote confronting the windmills or Sancho Panza at the inn’ (PMM 111). The epic novel tells the deeds of the minor aristocrat Alonso Quijano, so keen a reader of medieval chivalric romances that he loses his mind (or pretends to), and becomes absorbed in an imaginary world of knightly adventures. After assuming the name ‘Don Quixote’, as a knight-errant, he travels with his witty squire Sancho Panza (a local farmer), facing comic situations he interprets as heroic, including the famous, symbolic and now proverbial fight against windmills. ‘[Cervantes’s] great effects are broad and ample; they spring from the contrasts of incongruous circumstance viewed in the dry light of satiric observation. […] A master on unwinking irony […] a man of genius, a rare contriver of incident’ (Saavedra, p.xxxiii).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMiguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) led a picaresque life. He fled Madrid in 1569, after a duel. In Rome, he served Cardinal Acquaviva. He served in the navy throughout the Mediterranean, was at the Battle of Lepanto, and later a prisoner in Constantinople. In 1606, he returned to Madrid, as a tax collector, and eventually joined the Franciscan Third Order. Having written a handful of plays, he published Part I of ‘Don Quixote’ in 1605, followed by Part II in 1615. It was first translated from Castilian into English – the first translation into any language – by the Irish Catholic Thomas Shelton (fl.1604-20) in 1612, using the text of the 1607 edition, printed in Brussels, where Shelton taught Spanish. His enterprise took only 40 days, and immediately influenced English writers, e.g., the lost play ‘Cardenio’ (1612-13), attributed to Fletcher and Shakespeare. The c.1620 Part I is a reprint of Shelton’s text. Previously attributed to Shelton and probably based on the 1615 edition, Part II is now considered to be the work of the Hispanist Leonard Digges (1588-1635). Digges was among the authors of dedicatory poems prefacing Shakespeare’s First Folio, also published by Edward Blount.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe English translation of ‘Quixote’ greatly influenced the language and ideas of English playwrights and poets, including Shakespeare and Jonson. ‘Not merely once but on a variety of occasions the C17 English writers [influenced by ‘Quixote’] reflect and actually participate in the sheer fun of the work by playing with the protagonist’s name. They invent the adjectives “Quixoticall” (1642), “Quixot-like” (1664) […]; the past participle “Don quixoted’ (1658) […]; and the nouns “Don Quichoterie” (1659), “Quixotry” (1665) […]. In short, both the nature and the contagious fun of the character […] were actually adapted, incorporated, and made manifest in fresh English words’ (Randall, pp.xxxvi-xxxvii).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, Miguel de.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57868671713615,"sku":"L4143","price":97500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/Quixote-3.jpg?v=1781793663"},{"product_id":"herrera-gabriel-alonso-de-1","title":"HERRERA, Gabriel Alonso de.","description":"\u003cp\u003eA good copy of this scarce C16 bestselling manual in Castilian on the best practice and secrets of agriculture—‘one of the fundamental texts of the Spanish Renaissance’ (Rodilla, ‘La Medicina’, 437). Gabriel Alonso de Herrera (1470-1539) was a Franciscan agronomist and brother to the humanist Hernando and the musician Diego Alonso de Herrera. He is most renowned for this ‘Libro de agricultura’, first printed in 1513, which underwent 12 editions in the C16 alone and was translated into Latin, Italian, French and English. It was a compilation based on a variety of agricultural and medical sources, including Greek (Galen and Hippocrates), Arabic (Avenzoar and Avicenna), and Latin ‘De re rustica’ authors (Columella, Cato, Varro and Palladius). Following the classical tradition, Herrera presented a holistic view of the agronomist as knowledgeable in the cultivation of crops and trees, techniques for making soil and water suitable for agriculture and horticulture (how to fix defects in wine), the forecast of adverse weather conditions, farming and herbal medical remedies. He also injected into this solid tradition new ideas—based on contemporary agricultural theories and his own experience—concerning the identification of high-quality seed which should be grown separately from the rest to improve the quality of crops, as well as plant reproductive morphology, i.e., he believed that plants could be masculine or feminine. The intended readership was ‘on the one hand…the more or less rich landlords; but, on the other hand, the medical advice it offers and the therapeutic evaluation it performs of each plant suggest that its interlocutors were the “farmers of towns and villages where the presence of a doctor was inconceivable”’, an illiterate audience to whom this matter was reported orally and whom Herrera sought to reach more easily, for the first time in Europe, by using the vernacular (García, ‘El Libro de Agricultura’, 6, 10). A pioneering, enormously influential agricultural manual.\u003c\/p\u003e \n\n\u003cp\u003eThis copy belonged to D. Francisco de Paula Rojas y Caballero-Infante (1832-1909), a Spanish industrial engineer.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HERRERA, Gabriel Alonso de.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57868672696655,"sku":"L2968a","price":6750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/IMG_1874-copy.jpg?v=1781793661"},{"product_id":"pizarro-y-orellana-fernando","title":"PIZARRO Y ORELLANA, Fernando.","description":"\u003cp\u003e.The first and only edition, in English binding, of this glorification of the Spanish Conquest of the New World   a treasure trove of historical historic and sociocultural information, and an interesting piece of propaganda.  This work contains biographies of Columbus, Alonso de Ojeda, Cortez, the four Pizarros, Diego de Almagro, and Diego Garcia de Paredes, in which the treachery and brutality of the conquerors in the treatment of the Indians is palliated and defended  (Sabin). Printed on poor quality paper the text is often oxidised, but not in this case.. \u003cbr\u003e\n. \u003cbr\u003e\n..Fernando Pizarro y Orellana was professor of law at Salamanca and appointed minister of the Counsel of Castile by Philip IV. He claims here to be the grandson of the greatly celebrated conquistador Francisco Pizarro. In the appended  discurso legal , he reminds the King of the grants promised by his predecessors to Pizarro s ancestors, as a reward for the riches brought about by the conquest. After several prefaces, preambles, privileges and prefatory letters   all intended to give weight to what is to follow   the work opens with probably the longest (40pp.) biography of Columbus then printed. His discovery was seen as the start of a successful conquest  which was not only just, but had also been foreseen and prophesized . It recounts how Columbus convinced Ferdinand and Isabella to fund his enterprise and his several voyages, with the addition of  observations  by Pizarro himself, which include a variety of anecdotes such as the arrest of the Cacique Caonabo. There follows the biography of Captain Alonso de Ojeda and his travels in the Caribbean and the northern part of South America, including Trinidad, Tobago, Guyana and Venezuela. He was instrumental in the founding of the first city of the New World, which he called Fer-Isabelica. Other notable biographies are those of Fernando Cort éz, with an account of his meeting with Montezuma and Francisco Pizarro and his exploration of Peru. Scattered among the travelogues is copious information on the types of government and social hierarchy enforced by the Conquistadores and their exchanges with local communities. A most interesting work and probably the most comprehensive (albeit biased) encyclopaedia of New World explorations available at the time. . \u003cbr\u003e\n. \u003cbr\u003e\n..Thomas Philip (1781-1859), Earl of Grey, was the first president of the Institute of British Architects in London, founded in 1834. He was greatly interested in architecture, overseeing the remodelling of his London townhouse and of his seat at Wrest Park..\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PIZARRO Y ORELLANA, Fernando.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57868674498895,"sku":"L820","price":4500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L820-3.jpg?v=1781793654"},{"product_id":"lopez-de-palacios-rubios-joannes","title":"LOPEZ DE PALACIOS RUBIOS, Joannes.","description":"\u003cp\u003e.A good copy of the first and only edition of this important commentary on the  Leyes de Toro  - a revolutionary set of laws for the Kingdom of Castile, some still recognized today. They were applied and retained way into the C19, as part of the legal systems of former Spanish colonies such as Louisiana, Texas and Trinidad. These 83 laws were debated in 1505 in the city of Toro, in Castile, and approved by a committee of major Spanish jurists, according to instructions left in the will of Queen Isabella, who wished to modernize the Castilian justice system. On this committee was Juan L‚àö‚â•pez de Palacios Rubios (1450-1524), trained at Salamanca and known as  El Doctor  for his canon law expertise. He famously wrote the  Requerimiento  (1513) - the declaration of the Spanish monarchy seizing of New World territories, which was read to the native populations to  inform  them of the conquerors  rights. The present work provides the text (in Castilian), followed by Rubios  commentary (in Latin), for each  ley de Toro , which joined three previous sets of laws: the Partidas and ordinance of Alcal‚àö¬∞ (1343), and the Royal Ordinance (1496). The  leyes de Toro  were introduced  to regulate the forms to be observed in making wills; to establish rules relative to testamentary successions, and to successions  ab intestato ; to fix the donations which a father or mother might make of a part of their estate to some of their children to the prejudice or others,   and the alimony due from the father to his illegitimate children  ( Early Laws , p.154). Rubios prepared a thorough alphabetical index listing the hundreds of questions discussed in his commentary, including alienation of goods, dozens of cases concerning inheritance by legitimate and illegitimate ( spurii ) children, the status of prematurely deceased heirs in the definition of family genealogy for the purpose of inheritance, clandestine marriage, Christian burial for the executed, and whether a father can revoke a donation. A scarce commentary, in a remarkably well-preserved copy. .\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"LOPEZ DE PALACIOS RUBIOS, Joannes.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57868675809615,"sku":"L4085","price":3250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L4085-2.jpg?v=1781793652"},{"product_id":"cifuentes-miguel-de","title":"CIFUENTES, Miguel de.","description":"\u003cp\u003eA good copy, in contemporary binding, of the third edition – the first two surviving in only a handful of copies – of this important commentary on the ‘Leyes de Toro’, a revolutionary set of laws for the Kingdom of Castile, some still recognized today. They were also applied and retained way into the C19 as part of the legal systems of former Spanish colonies such as Louisiana, Texas and Trinidad. These 83 laws were discussed in 1505 in the city of Toro, and approved by a committee of major Spanish jurists, after instructions left in the last will of Queen Isabella, who wished to modernize the Castilian justice system. Miguel de Cifuentes (fl.1560s), from Gijón, was a jurist ‘in utroque’, who gained fame through his commentary on the ‘leyes de Toro’, first published in 1546. ‘Glosa’ provides the text (in Castilian), followed by Cifuentes’ Latin commentary for each ‘ley de Toro’, which joined three previous sets of laws: the Partidas and the ordinance of Alcalá (1343), and the Royal Ordinance (1496). The ‘leyes de Toro’ were especially produced ‘to regulate the forms to be observed in making wills; to establish rules relative to testamentary successions, and to successions “ab intestato”; to fix the donations which a father or mother might make of a part of their estate to some of their children to the prejudice or others, […] and the alimony due from the father to his illegitimate children’ (‘Early Laws’, p.154). Rubios prepared a thorough alphabetical index listing the hundreds of questions discussed in his commentary, including alienation of goods, dozens of cases concerning inheritance by legitimate and illegitimate (‘spurii’) children, or the status of prematurely deceased heirs in the definition of family genealogy for the purpose of last wills, clandestine marriage, Christian burial for the executed, or whether a father can revoke a donation. The contemporary annotator noted that part of law 79 had been criticised by another jurist, probably Villasante. Julian Eugenio Ruiz Dabalos was a C18 lawyer in Madrid, involved, among other things, in the defence of a tobacco merchant from Alicante before the Consejo de Hacienda.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"CIFUENTES, Miguel de.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57868678103375,"sku":"L4084","price":3950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/L4084-4.jpg?v=1781793646"},{"product_id":"spain","title":"[SPAIN].","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn attractive ms  probanza  (proof) certifying the legitimate  limpieza de sangre  (blood purity) and Christian descent of Francisco de Colmenares from the Spanish city of Caceres, in Estremadura. A fine example of early C17 Spanish Procesal-Encadenada calligraphy, it was written by the scribe Francisco de Medrano, recorded in Caceres until 1632 (Hurtado, p.511), in the presence of Licenciado Bernabe Vaca de Avila, alcalde mayor of Caceres. A final leaf includes a declaration, signed by three Caceres notaries, possibly Inquisitors, that Bernabe de Avila was indeed alcalde mayor, hence allowed to certify the  probanza  on behalf of the king.  \u003cbr\u003e\n The  probanza  may have been produced because of a  pedimento  (petition) issued in respect of Francisco de Colmenares, concerning his lineage and Christian descent. This was a very practical matter as all sorts of service under the crown, civil or military, advancement in the ranks of the nobility and local administration and many professions, had become dependent on being of proven, pure Spanish ancestry. Francisco declares himself  the legitimate son  of Rodrigo de Colmenares   probably the same recorded as a dyer c.1590 (Iglesias, p.14) - and Ana Garcia, legally married; they are defined, in turn, as legitimate children of Francisco s grandparents, also mentioned. Witnesses were heard, such as neighbours who also knew his parents, as this kind of hearing entailed examination. The recurring formula, repeated by all witnesses, is  linpios de toda mala raza y macula de moros, moriscos y judios ni delos nuevamente convertidos  ( clean of every bad race or stain of Moors, Moriscos, Jews and of those newly converted ), as well as of anyone previously condemned by the Inquisition. Hearings might take years to reach completion, the present document dated 1622, and the final appendix certifying the identity of the signatory officer dated 1624.  \u003cbr\u003e\n From the second half the C16, the concept of  limpieza de sangre  became a staple of Spanish society, as an alternative form of nobility aside from  hidalguia . It caused  the proliferation of  encuestas , with witnesses, and  probanzas , which aimed to establish an ascertained genealogy , thus making the lineage of those who had inhabited the land for generations socially valuable (Caillavet, par.11). This blended with Catholic orthodoxy, inseparable from the early modern idea of race, i.e., a pure  Spanish  race implied steadfast Christian roots (Caillavet, par.12). The year after this document was produced brought about changes to the procedure for this type of  probanza , forgoing the requirement for such documents in case of change of employment or if any random rumour simply suggested that a person was not purely Christian, from both a religious and  racial  point of view.  \u003cbr\u003e\n A most interesting, remarkably well-preserved manuscript.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"[SPAIN].","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57868704252239,"sku":"L4463","price":3750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/IMG_6265.webp?v=1781793437"},{"product_id":"perez-ignacio","title":"PEREZ, Ignacio.","description":"\u003cp\u003e.A remarkable, extra-illustrated copy of the first edition, the additional leaves from the second, of this important and rare Spanish calligraphic manual. The first 16 ll. comprise the text and the remainder a collection of elegant calligraphic plates illustrating the principal letter forms then current, such as Redonda, Bastarda (and both combined), Francesa, Grisa,  De Libris  and Antiquo. The autograph on the title may be that of the Spanish calligrapher Francisco Asensio y Mejorada (1725-94), who produced numerous engravings for calligraphic manuals, as well as working in the Real Biblioteca. .. . \u003cbr\u003e\n. \u003cbr\u003e\n..We know little of Ignacio Perez (1574-1609), except that he learnt from his father, Juan, also a calligrapher, and worked in Madrid as an examiner of master-calligraphers.  Arte de escrevir  was his great work. It begins with an introduction on the nature of calligraphy, the proportion and shape of the letters, techniques for preparing and holding the pen, paper and ink. A table at the end summarises the main multiplications required for the proportion of letters and Roman numbers, and (from the second ed.) a table providing basic rules for the multiplication of  reales  and  maravedis . The various woodcut tables, often signed and\/or dated, reproduce dozens of texts exemplifying the most common handwriting styles, especially variations on Bastarda,  in which lies his great merit, after the style of Francisco Lucas  (Cotarelo, II, p.165): e.g., Bastardilla, Redonda y Bastarda, as well French letter, Redondilla Peque‚àö¬±a Asentada, Antigua Romanilla, Lettera Grifa, Letra Latina, etc., the last few being printed white on black. A charming writing manual, uniquely extra-illustrated, and one of the earliest produced in Spain... . \u003cbr\u003e\n. \u003cbr\u003e\n..This copy includes all the plates attributed to the first ed. by Cotarelo y Mori. However, some are repeated, on different paper and with variations in page number and different woodcut borders. . \u003cbr\u003e\n. \u003cbr\u003e\n.Only BNE, Harvard, BL and Newberry copies recorded.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PEREZ, Ignacio.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57868705235279,"sku":"L4490","price":29500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/IMG_4695.jpg?v=1781793436"},{"product_id":"percival-richard-with-minsheu-john","title":"PERCIVAL, Richard [with] MINSHEU, John.","description":"\u003cp\u003eA very good edition of the first significant Spanish-English dictionary and English language Spanish grammar, appearing for the first time here with Minsheu s Pleasant and Delightfull Dialogues. The former two works were originally paired by Percival in his  Bibliotheca Hispanica  of 1591, for which much of the preliminary work was completed by Dr Thomas D Oylie (c. 1548-1603) of St Bartholomew s, brother-in-law of Francis Bacon and acolyte of Robert Dudley. Percival (1550-1620) was a politician and scholar of Spanish whose extravagance and choice of wife catalysed his disinheritance by his father. He lived only four years in Spain, with any prospect of return dashed by the onset of war, but made himself useful during the conflict as a negotiator, interrogation interpreter, and translator of secret documents, which included packets containing the first sure intelligence of the forthcoming Armada. He was later secretary to Robert Cecil and went on to hold a range of courtly and parliamentary positions. Minsheu (1560-1627), who greatly expanded Percival s work, was an impoverished lexicographer whose own writings saw publication only thanks to the patronage of his wealthier friends.  \u003cbr\u003e\n The comprehensive grammar section commences with an interesting list of general observations, showing the evolution of  modern  Spanish words from the earlier Latin, and Minsheu s dialogues contain phrases from Spanish texts popular in late C16 England. Although the works are now more commonly found separately, they should ideally be together, as here.  \u003cbr\u003e\n This edition has passed through the libraries of Algernon Capell (1670-1710), 2.nd. Earl of Essex and Privy Counsellor to Queen Anne, and William Alfred Westropp Foyle (1885-1963), co-founder of Foyles bookshop,  The People s Bookshop . Foyle owned of one of the largest English private libraries of the 20.th. century, at Beeleigh Abbey, whose contents became the single most valuable collection of books ever sold at auction, by Christies in July 2000.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PERCIVAL, Richard [with] MINSHEU, John.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57868707365199,"sku":"L4364a","price":9500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/20250123_184141-copy.jpg?v=1781793429"},{"product_id":"san-juan-juan-huarte-de-camilli-camillo-trans","title":"SAN JUAN, Juan Huarte de; CAMILLI, Camillo, trans.","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe second, expanded Aldine edition of the Italian translation of this intriguing work bringing together psychology and medicine. Juan Huarte de San Juan (1529-88) was a Spanish humanist and physician who trained at Alcal‚àö¬∞. First published in Spanish in 1575,  Examen de ingegnos  was his great masterpiece. The 'Essame  was included on the Index as a prohibited book   at least by 1605, the present copy has a ms  Libro proibito  on the titlepage. Nevertheless it was greatly successful, translated into several European languages (including German by the philosopher G.E. Lessing), and even English. Huarte used as a starting point the humanist pedagogical theories, to explore, with the help of Galenic medicine, the concept of talent,  its diversity and richness, and how it affects the development of an individual in the professional sphere  (Morilla, p.161). It begins with a discussion of  ingenium , various kinds of intelligence, and how the humours influence individual character and temperament. The first section demonstrates with an example how, if a child does not have the intelligence required for knowledge he has to acquire, not even good teachers, lots of books, and constant study will make him succeed. There follow sections on how and why some people are good at learning, and how this is helped by specific physical characteristics. Three chapters also explain how specific kinds of intelligence and memory may favour children for professions in the fields of theology, law, medicine, the military or royalty. These chapters examine physiology and diet in relation with  ingenium , seeking  to align each temperament with a kind of intelligence  (Morilla, p.164). A chapter is devoted to ways of having intelligent children who will benefit from education, with specific instructions on physical procreation, the most appropriate environment so that they may be born male, not female, and how their intelligence may be preserved as they grow up. A most interesting, most unusual work, in many ways ahead of its time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"SAN JUAN, Juan Huarte de; CAMILLI, Camillo, trans.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57868707823951,"sku":"L4333","price":1950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/20250123_123136-copy.jpg?v=1781793426"},{"product_id":"purchas-samuel-1","title":"PURCHAS, Samuel.","description":"\u003cp\u003eAmong the double-page maps – here remarkably fresh and clean, in very fine impression, with wide outer margins, and without repairs – shines Henry Briggs’ map of North America, produced by R. Elstracke before 1622. ‘The first printed map in English to show California as an island, it is one of the most important of the time. As a composite, place names are recorded reflecting the nationality of the discoverer, in English, French or Spanish’, with a note engraved in the map stating ‘California sometymes supposed to be a part of ye westerne continent, but since by a Spanish Charte taken by ye Hollanders it is found to be a goodly Ilande: the length of the west shoare beeing about 500 leagues’ (D. Rudderman Coll.). There is also a map of Virginia, published in 1606 after John Smith’s expedition, and one of Sir William Alexander’s voyages, illustrating New England, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. The map of China – present in vols III and V – titled in English and Chinese characters, is derived ‘from Luo Hongxian’s general map in his “Guangyu Tu” atlas of 1555’, with the addition of inset pictures (Shirley II, p.1650).\u003c\/p\u003e  \n\n\u003cp\u003eA fine set of the first edition of this most famous illustrated collection of travel narratives, together with the fourth ed. of ‘Purchas His Pilgrimage’ printed in 1626. The most complete early encyclopaedia of American travel, summarising all the major expeditions to North and South America up to the 1620s, from Columbus to William Hudson’s voyage on the Half-Moon, Smith’s expeditions to Virginia, and those carried out by the Spaniards and Dutch on the West Coast. It includes dozens of stunning engraved maps of North and South America, the North Pole, China, the Middle East, and Greenland, among others, as well as woodcut facsimile renditions of Arabic documents, Ottoman tughras, Mughal illumination, and illustrated Mesoamerican manuscripts. ‘Purchas obtained the use of the copperplates from Hondius’ “Atlas Minor” (1607) […]. The great majority of the maps are from this source, and are here printed as part of the text. […] Purchas had further maps engraved: these include maps of India, China, Greenland, North America and Nova Scotia.’\u003c\/p\u003e \n\n\u003cp\u003eSamuel Purchas (1577-1626) was a cleric in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. Whilst he never travelled further than a few hundred miles from his native town, he edited a collection of unpublished manuscripts left to him by Richard Hakluyt (hence the second title ‘Hakluytus Posthumous’), to which he added reports of sailors returning from their travels. The result was ‘Purchas His Pilgrimes’. ‘This great geographical collection is a continuation and enlargement of Hakluyt’s “The Principal Navigations”. At the death of Hakluyt there was left a large collection of voyages in manuscript which came into the hands of Purchas, who added to them many more voyages and travels […]. Purchas followed the general plan of Hakluyt, but he frequently put the accounts into his own words […]. The main divisions of the work fall into two parts: the first covering the world known to Ptolemy, the second coming down to Purchas’ own day. This fine collection includes the accounts of Cortés and Pizarro, Drake, Cavendish, John and Richard Hawkins, Quiros, Magellan, van Noort, Spilbergen, and Barents, as well as the categories of Portuguese voyages to the East Indies, Jesuit voyages to China and Japan, East India Company voyages, and the expeditions of the Muscovy Company’ (Hill). The four vols examine ancient voyages, customs and languages (e.g., the peregrinations of the Apostles and Patriarchs), the circumnavigation of the globe, explorations in Africa, Arabia, Persia, and India, voyages to Japan, China, the Philippines, and expeditions to the Middle and Far East. The fifth vol., also on world exploration, is considered the ‘fourth and best ed.’ (Sabin) of another travel work published by Purchas in the 1610s, especially important for the accounts of William Hudson’s explorations in North America.\u003c\/p\u003e  \n\n\u003cp\u003eThe double-page maps of North America are remarkably detailed on the coastal areas, showing the Hudson River, dozens of locations in California, Texas, Mexico, Newfoundland, New Britain, Canada, and the Caribbean. A highlight are the woodcut reproductions of unusual alphabets, e.g., hieroglyphs, ancient magical alphabets, and cabbalistic, as well as Arabic, Glagolitic, Ethiopic, Armenian, Dalmatian, and others. Purchas also included woodcut reproductions – among the earliest instances of facsimile in print – of Middle Eastern and South Asian documents (e.g., a letter in Arabic from Sharefoo Boobackar, King of Moyela; a letter in Bani, the Tughra of the Ottoman Sultan) and Ottoman seals, which he found among the East India papers he had access to thanks to acquaintances among the company’s directors. Astounding are the two dozen woodcuts reproducing Mexican illustrated manuscripts with detailed captions and explanations. ‘The idea of a visual compendium of all known examples of a given class of Mexican antiquities was first attempted by Purchas. […] He commissioned line drawings of manuscripts previously owned by Hakluyt and Thevet. […] After Purchas’ death, these manuscripts became part of the collection of John Selden, who bequeathed them, in turn, to the Bodleian Library’ (Miller, p.5).\u003c\/p\u003e  \n\n \u003cp\u003eFrom the Library of the Admiralty Office overlooking Horse Guards, in Whitehall, formerly the administrative headquarter of the Royal Navy. A most appropriate provenance for a book of great voyages.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PURCHAS, Samuel.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57868710609231,"sku":"L4539","price":97500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/files\/purchas-1.jpg?v=1781793407"},{"product_id":"el-cid-ruy-diaz","title":"EL CID RUY DIAZ.","description":"\u003cp\u003eUnrecorded and possibly pirated edition of this Spanish chronicle of El Cid, the medieval knight and a popular hero in romances of the period, with a charming woodcut illustration. This edition follows the text of the 1578 chronicle printed in Seville by Alonso de la Barrera, though with different type and woodcut. El Cid, or  Lord,  was a mercenary in Islamic Iberia during the C11th, whose legend   despite fighting on both the Christian and Muslim sides he was considered a divinely sent Christian saviour   quickly became associated with the romance genre, especially the C13th Poema or Cantar de Mio Cid. Our chronicle is more of a fictionalised historical account, beginning with the fraternal wars of the heirs of King Fernando I, paving the way for the rise of El Cid under Alfonso VI, his conquest of Valencia, the noble marriages of his daughters, his death and his effective canonisation.   \u003cbr\u003e\n An identical imprint to that found in our edition appears in two Lisbon editions of a different Spanish chronicle of El Cid by Juan de Escobar, under the title of Hystoria del muy noble y valeroso cavallero, el Cid Ruy Diaz de Bivar, one dated 1601 (Palau 81016) and another 1605 (Palha 766). Palha called his edition  rarissime  and  absolument inconnue aux bibliographes.  Palau noted that the 1601 edition bore a license dated 1610 and inferred that the 1601 and 1605 imprints must therefore have been fraudulent and with invented dates ( son fraudulentas, y las fechas   son pura invenci_n ). However, he appears not to have examined the 1605 edition, which does in fact bear a license dated that year, and appears to exist in only a single copy (see Christie s sale 3 April 1996, lot 89); it is therefore possible that 1601 was a misprint for 1610. This corroborates the dating and location of our edition, which might simply have been a separate and equally rare production of Alvarez s press, or may have been a pirated edition copying a readily available text and printed using Alvarez s imprint (and therefore his inquisitorial license). Indeed, since the majority of Alvarez s output was theological, the latter might also have been the case with the Escobars.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"EL CID RUY DIAZ.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57868719653199,"sku":"L4855","price":8750.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"maringo-mariano-corleonense","title":"MARINGO, Mariano Corleonense.","description":"\u003cp\u003eThird edition of this extremely rare work, a comprehensive guide to the legal procedure of Sicilian courts under Spanish rule, first published 1597.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe work is organised according to the formulae used in civil law courts, including precedents for documents that will be presented by lawyers, with texts in italic, as well as recommendations that might also be useful for judges, such as how to deal with a contumacious witness. Some of the examples used are copied from medieval charters and documents dating back to the C14th. Maringo, about whom very little is known, but who was evidently a Dominican friar with legal training, then presents notes on each formula or case. The work is dedicated substantially to contract and inheritance law, also covering Sicilian feudal tenure, which remained in force on the island far longer than in most European countries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe title-page advertises the work as being a  treasury for youth, aid to the poor, and staff for the old,  and useful to lawyers, judges and notaries. It also states that the work is  now brought to light for the first time,  though this seems to have been simply copied over from the titles of the two earlier editions, which were also printed by Giovanni Battista Maringo, no doubt related to the author.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAll editions are extremely rare. OCLC notes only five copies of the third edition, with none in the US, while copies of the first and second (1598) editions are only to be found in Italian libraries.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MARINGO, Mariano Corleonense.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57868723683663,"sku":"L4918","price":2250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"pinelo-antonio-de-le_n","title":"PINELO, Antonio de Le_n.","description":"\u003cp\u003eRare second, enlarged edition of Michel Angelo Lapi s Italian translation, first published 1655, of this scarce account of the life of Saint Toribio Alfonso of Mogrovejo (1538-1606), Archbishop of Lima from 1579, with details of his beatification and canonisation, the original Spanish ed. was published Lima 1653. From a small village in Cantabria in Spain, the unheralded Toribio received a surprise appointment as Grand Inquisitor by Philip II, after which he was elected to the Archbishopric of Lima. There he supposedly confirmed half a million people, including the Peruvian Saints Martin de Porres and Rose of Lima, a Dominican nun from a noble Spanish family, who was the first person born in the Americas to be canonised..\u003cbr\u003e\nThe book relates Toribio s incredible journeys on foot around the more inaccessible parts of Peru, for which he was famous, including precipitous nocturnal journeys across mountainous terrain with his native guides. There are several chapters describing Toribio s saintly virtues and the miracles he performed before and after his death. These include protecting the town of Mayobamba from storms and bad air, with which it was particularly afflicted, [etc.]. The book begins with the decree of Toribio s own canonisation in 1635 by Pope Urban VIII, and at the end are a number of prayers and pleas (instantia) invoking Toribio, along with several letters from clergy in favour of his beatification and canonisation, as well as texts of documents relating to the process.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PINELO, Antonio de Le_n.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57868723749199,"sku":"L4895","price":2450.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"paul-v-pope","title":"PAUL V, Pope.","description":"\u003cp\u003eUnrecorded indulgence purchased by a Spanish colonial resident in Mexico on behalf of a woman Spanish settler. It was issued in Madrid by the Consejo y Comisar√≠a de Cruzada, an institution with papal authority but controlled by the Spanish crown, which administered the Bulas de Santa Cruzada, or Bulls of the Holy Crusade, papal indulgences granted to the Spanish Crown and sold in Spain and, from 1578, its colonial territories. The income was originally intended exclusively for the fighting of heathens and heretics, but over time went straight to the Spanish monarchy, and as late as the early nineteenth century was used to prop up expenditure in the colonies. This indulgence refers specifically to Spanish territories in the Americas and Philippines, where it was evidently offered for sale and most likely printed, given the quality of the typesetting and paper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe main text states the necessity of the intercession of all the saints for those in purgatory, as well as the torments and horrors of eternal incarceration in the fires of Hell. Cathalina Perez Molero is recorded as having established a sugar hacienda with her husband Pedro de Ylara in Xalapa, near Mexico City, which eventually failed. In the mid-C17th, however, Ylara was a wealthy and important residents of Xalapa, and is recorded as having owned slaves. The connection with Joseph de Goitia appears to have been business related; a Don Joseph de Goitia was killed in the Pueblo Indian Revolt in New Mexico in 1680. Examples of plenary indulgences purchased by de Goitia for Cathalina date to 1662 and as far back as 1639, implying a regular programme of plenary indulgence buying on behalf of Cathalina, who apparently therefore died as early as the 1630s, since indulgences were not meant to be purchased for other living people. Officially, the sale of indulgences had been banned since 1567 after the Council of Trent, but Pope Paul V (1550-1621) had authorised them for sale in the Spanish colonies. De Goitia paid four reales for this example.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PAUL V, Pope.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57868724076879,"sku":"L4909","price":3950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1016\/2425\/0703\/collections\/Screenshot_2026-06-20_at_2.59.55_PM.png?v=1781964053","url":"https:\/\/www.sokol.co.uk\/collections\/spain.oembed","provider":"Sokol Books Ltd","version":"1.0","type":"link"}