[Mirabilia Romae]

Chancery 8vo (150 x 110mm.), 8 leaves (last page blank), 23 lines, gothic type (Silber's type 72 G), one 3-line initial space with printed guide, one 2-line printed initial, fragment of a fleur-de-lys watermark, German nineteenth-century black boards, in modern brown buckram folding box, uncut, extremities rubbed

No exact match found in ISTC, Miedema or Rossetti; there is a copy at Regensburg in Silber's type 1, ISTC im00590845 [c. 1481-1485], which also has 8 leaves but 24 lines (not 23 as here). H 11181 is also a close match (23 lines, last page blank) though assigned to Stephan Plannck in BSB-Ink M-398.

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."

The small printed area (only 84 x 60mm.) was designed to provide good margins for annotations, which have been used to the full in this copy with contemporary annotations in most margins at right angles to the printed text; similar early annotations are also found in Oratio de sancta Veronica (Indulgentiae ecclesiarum principalium Romae) (see lot 98; H 132), which has an identical later binding, and it is certainly plausible that these two were bound together originally.

The small gothic typeface was used by Silber for publications between 1480 (when he started printing in Rome) and 1487. He called it "littera Veneta", and according to BMC (iv, 103) it is derived from a type of Adam de Rottweil's (66G; he was active in Venice 1476-1480 and it is possible that Silber worked for him there). The use of the angular C may indicate a date nearer 1486-87.

This edition belongs to the earlier group published by Silber, without any woodcuts. For later editions with woodcuts, see lots 100-101.