Fugger, Ein nutzlich Formular manncherley schoener schriefften, Nuremberg, 1553, contemporary calf

Fugger, Wolfgang. Ein nutzlich und wolgegrundt Formular Manncherley schoener Schriefften als Teutscher, Lateinischer, Griechischer unnd Hebrayscher Buchstaben, sampt unterrichtung wie ein yede gebraucht und gelernt soll werden. (Nuremberg: Valentin Geyssler for Wolfgang Fugger), 1553

First edition of Wolfgang Fugger's handwriting manual. Fugger opens this work, intended for beginners, with instructions on how to cut your pen and the proper and improper way to hold your arm and hand whilst writing. 

Fugger claims that "German does not look well written in Roman letters", and provides examples of popular scripts for writing in German, including Kurrent and Fraktur. Xylographic examples of Gothic, Greek and Roman alphabets are included, as well as guides on Greek and Latin numbering. Some twenty-two pages are dedicated to Hebrew, including several pages of Hebrew musical notation; the author directs his reader to the Grammatica Hebraica of Elias Levita and Sebastian Münster for further information. The second part comprises a detailed guide on how to form Roman capital letters, following earlier examples such as Dürer's Underweysung of 1525 (lot 512).

This first edition has the colophon naming Wolfgang Fugger and Valentin Geyssler: the second edition bears the imprint of Katherina Dieterichin and Wolfgang Starke.

2 parts, oblong 8vo (154 x 200 mm). collation: a-z4 aa-cc4: 104 leaves. Woodcut coat of arms to verso of each title-page, woodcut alphabets, 5 woodcut illustrations, printed music notation with Hebrew text, a few woodcuts with pinprick tracing marks. (Occasional light soiling, damp-staining to gutter in first half, damp-staining primarily to p, q and to final few quires, minor worming in x2-cc4, leaves b4 and c1 a little shorter.)

binding: Contemporary German (probably Nuremberg) blind-tooled calf over wooden boards (161 x 212 mm), roll-tooled borders of Christ the Saviour, St Peter, St Paul and John the Baptist, remains of two clasps, rebacked retaining most of original spine, red edges. (Minor worming to boards, rebacked, corners repaired.)

provenance: Later inscription to title page, C. Froebel (plausibly Carl Poppo Fröbel, 1786-1824, printer). acquisition: Purchased in 1998 from E.K. Schreiber, New York. references: Bonacini 649; USTC 645375; VD16 F 3337