[Mirabilia Romae]

Chancery 4to with the outer bifolium Royal 8vo (218 x 148mm.), 6 leaves (first leaf blank), 28 lines, roman type, 3-line initial supplied in red, red paraphs and initial-strokes, modern paper wrapper, edges uncut, modern folding buckram box with note from the Cockerell Bindery dated 1986 and the old paper wrapper loose in box, early annotations, first and last leaf repaired in gutter

"Vandevelde, no. 8832", later inscription on detached wrapper (and inventory number repeated on flyleaf), i.e. Jean François Van de Velde (1743-1828), professor of the Grand Collège, Louvain, whose library of more than 14,000 books was sold in Ghent in 1831-1832.

BMC iv 44; GW M12030; IGI 6472; ISTC ii00068300; Miedema l 12

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."

An uncut copy. This little tract, later included in editions of the Mirabilia Romae (see lots 98-101), describes the main churches in Rome and the indulgences to be obtained by visiting all of them. ISTC records just four copies of this edition. Rot produced two other surviving editions, also recorded in just a few copies each - the paucity of surviving copies attests to the ephemeral purpose of the publication. It is not known which is the first edition of this tract, as the editions by both Rot and other printers from the early 1470s are all undated.

There was a Jubilee celebrated in Rome in 1475 during the pontificate of Sixtus IV, which led to the outpouring of copies of these pilgrims' guides from the Roman presses.

The date of production is restricted to the few years in which Rot, a cleric from Metz, was active in Rome, as one of several German printers who dominated the Rome trade at this time. Rot's printed output of Consilia and Vatican decrees was tailored towards the needs of the Curia romana; he produced only a few of the classical texts that were flooding the market at this time, resulting in the failure of many printing houses, including that of Sweynheym and Pannartz.

The outer sheet was printed on a Royal quarter-sheet, and the two inner sheets are Chancery half-sheets. The printed text area is quite small to allow for readers to annotate; see also lots 98-99 for other parts of the Mirabilia Romae which have the same small print area and extensive annotations.