Donne, John

4to (7 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.; 190 x 140 mm).  With initial blank A1, woodcut printer's device on title-page copied from the Estiennes (McKerrow 311), a profusion of wood- and metal-cut initials and woodcut and typographic  head- and tailpieces; A1 chipped at fore-edge, original blank at the end misbound, some browning and soiling.  Green straight-grain morocco gilt, edges gilt; worn, hinges weak.

Alfred Nathan (morocco gilt label)

STC 7043; ESTC S109980; Grolier/Donne 26; Keynes, Donne 43

Condition as described in catalogue entry.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

First edition, with licenses to print on both F1v and H4v,  "Donne's Juvenilia are clever and entertaining trifles, most of which were written before 1600 during the more wanton period of the author's life" (Keynes). Although these Paradoxes and Problems were widely circulated in manuscript, their secular, if not vulgar, character prevented them from being published during the author's lifetime.