Hieronymus

Chancery folio (265 x 193mm.), 26 leaves, [a¹⁰ b-c⁸], 30 lines, gothic type, 6-line initial in red and blue with penwork decoration, 1- to 3-line initials in red or blue, red paraphs, initial-strokes and underlining, the date 1474 written in ink below explicit, eighteenth-century red morocco gilt, spine gilt in compartments, gilt edges, binding slightly scraped

Earl of Sunderland, removed from Blenheim Palace, without bookplate but old shelfmark on flyleaf, sale, Puttick and Simpson, April 1882, lot 6172 ("A VERY RARE EDITION"), £7, J. Rimell & Son; Sir Edward Sullivan, bookplate, sale, Sotheby's, 22 May 1890, lot 3101, £1-19s, to; William O'Brien, bequest booklabel dated 1899

C 2956; BMC ix 8; ILC 1188; Bod-inc H-104; GW 12452; Grosjean & O'Connell 67

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."

RARE. We have not been able to trace any recent sale records for this edition. ISTC lists 12 copies.

Nicolaus Ketelaer and Gerardus de Leempt are considered the second printing establishment in Utrecht, where the first Dutch press appeared in around 1471. They are the first named Dutch printers and they worked together from 1473 to perhaps 1475; most of their 30 odd books are undated, as here. Gerardus later printed at s' Hertogenbosch and Nijmegen. For another work from their press, see lot 348 [Thomas a Kempis].

This is one of two editions of St Jerome's lives of famous men printed around this time; as both are undated, their priority cannot be established.