Smet, Bonaventure de (1538-1614).

8vo (150 x 90mm.), [16], 109, [3]pp., illustration: woodcut printer's device on title-page, woodcut text, binding: seventeenth-century mottled calf gilt, spine gilt in compartments, extremities slightly rubbed, lacking lettering-piece

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

first edition. De Smet's treatise reprints the Gothic words reported by Busbecq as being spoken in the Crimea and bearing a close similarity with modern Dutch. In order to place Gothic within the family of European languages, de Smet also includes words from Old English, Old High German, Persian, Basque, Welsh and other languages. "The Persian lexical items are compared with German cognates, and this had never been done before; the Romani wordlist is the second specimen of that language ever to have been printed; Gothic had never before been printed in the Greek-based Gothic alphabet" (J. Considine, Dictionaries in Early Modern Europe, Cambridge 2008, p.154). De Smet's work was used by other linguists of the period, such as Megiser (see lot 4609).