BIBLE, LATIN, NUREMBERG, KOBERGER, 1486-1487, 2 VOLUMES, LATER VELLUM

4 parts in 2 volumes, Chancery folio (293 x 202mm.), 467 (of 468, without initial blank), 370, 348, 383 (of 384, without initial blank) leaves, double column, 72-73 lines of commentary plus headline, gothic type, woodcut illustrations (some full-page), part 1: first 15-line initial in pink and green on a gold ground, part 2: first 5-line initial in blue on a gold ground, part 4: first 10-line initial in blue on a gold ground within a red and green frame, other initials in red and/or blue, eighteenth-century vellum over thin wooden boards, paper labels on spines, in modern folding boxes, a page of manuscript notes on final blank verso of part 4, occasional damp-staining and light browning, a few small stains on xx5, last leaf of part 2 torn and repaired with slight loss of text at head, last leaf of part 3 laid down with loss of a few letters at head, wormholes at beginning and end of part 4, a few headlines cut close in part 4, pastedowns lifted and endleaves slightly torn, turn-ins coming away from the boards

J. Faber, inscription on first leaf; Josias Lorck, pastor in Copenhagen, inscription on first leaf, his library bought by Karl Eugen, duke of Württemberg, in 1784 for; Royal Library, Stuttgart, library and duplicate stamps on first leaf; K.F. Koehlers Antiquarium, Leipzig, sold to Jorge de Beristayn, bookseller's address label loosely inserted; Robert Saitschick, bookplate in second volume; [bought from John Fleming, New York, 1985, by] Abel Berland, bookplate, sale, Christie's New York, 9 October 2001, lot 382

Goff B614 & B613; HC 3167 & 3166; BMC ii 431 & 427; BSB-Ink B-459 & B-453; Bod-inc B-320 & B-319; GW 4289 & 4288

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."

A mixed edition, with parts 1, 2 and 4 from the 1487 edition, and part 3 from 1485 (with same foliation). This edition, printed by the prolific Anton Koberger, contains the respected biblical commentary of the fourteenth-century Franciscan Nicolaus de Lyra and of the thirteenth-century Guilelmus Brito, together with the fifteenth-century additions to Lyra by the converted Spanish Jew Paul of Burgos, and Matthias Döring's rejection of these additions. Both Nicolaus de Lyra and Paul of Burgos emphasised the meaning of the Bible in a literal sense.