Johannes de Bromyard, Summa praedicantium, Basel, 1484, 2 volumes, contemporary stamped calf

JOHANNES DE BROMYARD

Summa praedicantium. [Basel: Johann Amerbach, not after 1484]

2 volumes, Median folio (365 x 253mm.), 364 and 324 leaves (for a detailed collation please see the printed catalogue), double column, 53 lines plus headline, gothic type, large initials supplied in red and blue, smaller initials in red or blue, red and blue initial-strokes and paraphs, contemporary blind-stamped calf over thick square-cut wooden boards, traces of chaining staples and shoes, vellum board-liners, occasional light worming or staining, bindings rubbed and rebacked, lacking all clasps and metalwork

John of Bromyard (died c. 1352), a Dominican at Hereford Priory, "was the author of handbooks for preachers, comprising nine works (five of which are lost) totalling probably well over 2 million words, which had a marked influence on homiletic literature in the later middle ages. The pragmatic intent of all his literary work is illustrated by his providing each of his books with a detailed alphabetical index and an efficient system of cross-reference, at a time when it was still a relative novelty for an author to index his own works" (Peter Binkley, ODNB). His Summa is a vast compilation of material for preaching, arranged in alphabetical order, and it remained in print until the early seventeenth century. There are a notable number of references in the text to Italy, which seem to confirm that John had travelled there himself.

The binding has a few unusual stamps that have not been found in EBDB, including a W in a circle with text and a thin rectangular stamp with the wording "Jhesus Maria". The stamps are arranged in vertical columns which is somewhat unusual for a Germanic binding at this time; it is plausible that this is a Silesian binding, both from the provenance and from the presence of stamps of the letter W in other Breslau bindings of the time.

LITERATURE:

ISTC ij00260000

PROVENANCE:

Frankfurt an der Oder, Academy, old printed label (joined in 1811 with); Bibliotheca Viadrina, University of Breslau (Wroclaw), ink stamp on first leaf and duplicate stamp (sold probably in 1921-1922); extract from old sale catalogue pasted to inside front cover