Isidorus Hispalensis

Chancery folio (254 x 185mm.), 65 leaves (of 66, without final blank leaf), [a-f]¹⁰ [g]⁶, [b]4 and [b]7 not conjoint (stubs visible), 37 lines, Gothic type, 3-line initial spaces (some supplied with later ink initials), near-contemporary blind-tooled goatskin over pasteboard (most likely a remboitage), later paper label pasted over spine and lettered in ink with shelfmark (D VII 23) and title, four pairs of ties (two at foredge, one at head and one at foot), a few early annotations, outer margins cut rather close, occasional slight staining, binding worn and partly resewn, part of spine becoming loose, later endpapers, lacking all ties

Goff I192; H 9282; BMC ii 404; BSB-Ink I-636; Bod-inc I-031; GW M15296 (stating [a-g]¹⁰, last 5 leaves blank)

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."

EDITIO PRINCEPS of the first work by Isidore of Seville to appear in print.

The binding on this work is unusual; it would appear to be Spanish, as the tooling is in mudéjar style, and it has a continuous board that wraps around both covers and the spine, in the manner of a limp binding, rather than the customary use of two flat and stiff separate boards for the covers. It was plausibly originally the binding of a notebook or manuscript, rather than a printed book. There is some concave distortion of the spine, which is a common weakness of limp bindings; Szirmai (The archaeology of medieval bookbinding, Aldershot 1999) discusses limp bindings at length, but none made from morocco or goatskin coverings.

For similar mudéjar style bindings, see H. Thomas, Early Spanish Bookbindings (London, 1939); plate XVII has similar decoration composed of small ropework tools and dots. However, the decoration on this volume is slightly less elaborate and could plausibly be of Venetian or Neapolitan origin.