Johannes de Bromyard, Summa praedicantium, Basel, 1484, 2 volumes, contemporary stamped calf

Johannes de Bromyard

Summa praedicantium. [Basel: Johann Amerbach, not after 1484]

2 volumes, Median folio (365 x 253mm.), 364 leaves, [*–****^8.10 a¹² b–z⁸ A–O⁸ P–S^6.8]; 324 leaves, [aa¹⁰ bb–cc⁸ dd¹⁰ ee⁶ ff–gg⁸ hh–pp¹⁰ qq⁸ rr–ss¹⁰ tt–vv⁸ xx⁶ yy–LL⁸ MM⁶ NN¹⁰ OO–PP⁸], double column, 53 lines plus headline, gothic type, large initials supplied in red and blue, smaller initials in red or blue, red and blue initial-strokes and paraphs, contemporary blind-stamped calf over thick square-cut wooden boards, traces of chaining staples and shoes, vellum board-liners, occasional light worming or staining, bindings rubbed and rebacked, lacking all clasps and metalwork

John of Bromyard (died c. 1352), a Dominican at Hereford Priory, "was the author of handbooks for preachers, comprising nine works (five of which are lost) totalling probably well over 2 million words, which had a marked influence on homiletic literature in the later middle ages. The pragmatic intent of all his literary work is illustrated by his providing each of his books with a detailed alphabetical index and an efficient system of cross-reference, at a time when it was still a relative novelty for an author to index his own works" (Peter Binkley, ODNB). His Summa is a vast compilation of material for preaching, arranged in alphabetical order, and it remained in print until the early seventeenth century. There are a notable number of references in the text to Italy, which seem to confirm that John had travelled there himself.

The binding has a few unusual stamps that have not been found in EBDB, including a W in a circle with text and a thin rectangular stamp with the wording "Jhesus Maria". The stamps are arranged in vertical columns which is somewhat unusual for a Germanic binding at this time; it is plausible that this is a Silesian binding, both from the provenance and from the presence of stamps of the letter W in other Breslau bindings of the time.

LITERATURE:

ISTC ij00260000

PROVENANCE:

Frankfurt an der Oder, Academy, old printed label (joined in 1811 with); Bibliotheca Viadrina, University of Breslau (Wroclaw), ink stamp on first leaf and duplicate stamp (sold probably in 1921-1922); extract from old sale catalogue pasted to inside front cover