Erasmus, Desiderius

4to (190 x 140mm.), woodcut printer's device on title-page and final verso, woodcut initials, nineteenth-century boards, red edges

Bibliothek zu Heidelberg, stamp on title-page

VD16 E3405

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."

FIRST EDITION. Erasmus composed this work at the behest of Thomas Boleyn, the father of Anne Boleyn, in the year that Henry VIII married Anne (the dedication to Boleyn is dated December 1533). He had plausibly met Boleyn while in London and had previously dedicated two other works to him, for which he seems to have received some reward. The letters in the second half of this volume discuss English religious affairs, such as the death of William Warham and the appointment of Thomas Cranmer as archbishop of Canterbury, and includes letters from Thomas More to Erasmus dated 1532 in which More talks about heretics and includes More's epitaph which he wrote himself (in 1534 More was arrested for heresy, and executed in 1535). The letter to Damiano de Goes, in Portugal, touches upon Henry's divorce, as Goes had asked Erasmus to clarify his position about it.