LULL, OPERA, STRASSBURG, 1598, CONTEMPORARY VELLUM

FIRST COLLECTED EDITION, 8vo (180 x 108mm.), woodcut diagrams, 3 folding letterpress tables, contemporary vellum, short tear in title, binding slightly worn

Monasterii Cremiphanensis [Kremsmünster], old inscription on title; bought from Walter Alicke, Interlibrum Buchantiquariat, Vaduz, 1985

Tomash & Williams L143 (also A44, B278-280); Benzing-Müller, III, p.644 no. 46; Navarro Brotóns 501; Rogent & Duran 144; Salvestrini p.27 no. 1; USTC 689905; VD16 R155; cf. Origins of Cyberspace 7 (edition Strassburg 1652)

the condition of this lot is as described in the catalogue description
"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."

This first collected edition of the major works of Lull consists of six works written by him, four falsely attributed to him, four commentaries by Giordano Bruno and one by Agrippa von Nettesheim. "The most distinctive characteristic of Lull's Art is clearly its combinatory nature, which led to both the use of complex semi-mechanical techniques that sometimes required figures with separately revolving concentric wheels - volvelles - and to the symbolic notation of its alphabet. These features justify its classification among the forerunners of both modern symbolic logic and computer science, with its systematically exhaustive consideration of all possible combinations of the material under examination, reduced to a symbolic coding" (DSB VIII, p.549). This copy does not appear to have any volvelles, but clearly if the illustration on p.741 were to be cut out and placed on that at p.746 the example illustrated in DSB would begin to become apparent.