Hieronymus, Vitae patrum, Nuremberg, Koberger, 1478, calf over wooden boards

Hieronymus

Vitae sanctorum patrum, sive Vitas patrum. De laude et effectu virtutum. Pseudo-Macarius: Epistola ad monachos. Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 7 May 1478

Royal folio (398 x 270mm.), 244 leaves (of 246, without initial and final blank leaves), [a⁶ b–n^10.8 o-p¹⁰ q–z A B^10.8 C D⁸ E⁶], double column, 51 lines plus headline, gothic letter, a few early marginal annotations, later calf covering original wooden boards with a few traces of the original blind-stamped calf underneath, later red edges, small area of damp-staining towards end of volume, final leaf with marginal repairs, binding somewhat rubbed and scraped with repairs at edges, joints cracked, new pastedowns

A tall crisp copy of St Jerome's Lives of the Fathers, with some deckle edges and early English provenance. This volume contains a relatively early instance of printed foliation, which was first used in 1470 but was still uncommon at the end of the fifteenth century.

LITERATURE:

ISTC ih00199000

PROVENANCE:

"Ex dono Joh[ann]is Markam 1559", and "Edw. Pryse, 1589", inscriptions at head of first leaf; "Michaelis Pauli, & Fratrum Mon. Ben", later inscription at foot of first leaf; Ampleforth Abbey library, bookplate and ink stamp

A Sir John Markham (c. 1486-1559) was MP for Nottingham.