December 29, 2024 Last Auction for the Year!

An eclectic group of items being offered at Auction Ninja starting to close at 7:00 PM EST.

Not Issued and Banned Atomic Bomb Stamps!

40th Reunion of Astronauts- Shuttle Moon Pilot and on the moon Astronauts

Impressionist Painting Two Kids in the Woods

And Much More! Follow the link to signup and bid!

Calix Books at Auction Ninja

Auction Ninja New and Closed Auctions for 2024!

Auction Ninja Calix Books Site

2024

 But it's not just Books and Ephemera! We are broadening our platform to include collectibles, antiques, as well as a host of other items.

Some Highlights

We started auctioning items on Auction Ninja and we are now at our 17th Auction for 2024. Below are some of the images of items that have sold this year.

1924 Plein Air painting by Women's Activist Artist Frieda Hauswirth who sketched Ghandi at his loom and worked for Hindu Women's liberation in the 1920s and 1930s. Painted in Kashmir at the glacier on board. Sold: $480 including buyer's Premium.

Curtiss Brock Vase 11 inches high, from the series "Stone" award winning show of his works in 1993. Sold: $400 including buyer's premium.

1854 large format chromolithographed print from the 1851 Great Exhibition by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. This piece, entitled “Colonial Produce” along with Dickinson’s Comprehensive Pictures of the Great Exhibition, and for the use of Chromo Lithography. By Joseph Nash. Sold: $300 including buyer's premium.

Auctions are held with 7 days of preview at the Auction Ninja site!

Morning Moon at Preston Beach, Swampscott, Massachusetts, Low Tide- During the Great Pandemic 2021.

Re-starting the Book and Antiques Business

It's been some time since I last wrote or tried to write a blog about books and a lot has happened to all of us over the last several years. But the good news is I survived the Great Pandemic of our lifetimes! The first one of these I ever encountered was when stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana, that we all lovingly called 'Fort Puke', because nearly all of us got the Hong Kong Flu. I woke up after passing out in an ice bath, completely naked with two nurses standing over me. I was told that I was in a coma or semi-coma for nearly two weeks and that the ice baths were to keep my temperature below Army standards....That was a shock. But I have to say, this SARS CoV2 virus was far worse than the Hong Kong Flu for many folks, many didn't make it and entire families were nearly wiped out, if not decimated by this virus.

So, I'm back! But now my interests and the interests of Calix Books has broadened not just with the usual books and ephemera but into antiques and in particular, interesting antique smalls that can be shipped and sold over the internet. Calix Books, besides its usual website which only has books and ephemera is now listed Etsy!  

Also, our listings on ebay (I've been a member since 1997!) are not just books but a variety of items either bought at auction or found out in the world. Take a look!

Some new interests are:

Japanese Water Pot used to boil the water for the Japanese Tea Ceremony called Chanoyu (Hot Water for Tea) 茶の湯

The first one of these 'Iron Kettles' also called Tetsubin (鉄瓶), that I bought at an auction, when it arrived, I was blown away! It used in and is a part of the Tea Ceremony which in Japanese (known as sadō/chadō (茶道, 'The Way of Tea') or chanoyu (茶の湯)) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha (抹茶), powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called temae (点前).

More on this later, because of that one purchase, this opened an entirely new area of interest for me, much to my wife's chagrin (What now?). Well I've always been a collector of Japanese block prints and bought my first one as a student at Ohio State University in 1973, a print by Hokusai. His formal name was Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎, c. 31 October 1760 – 10 May 1849), known simply as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. Which is below:

Hokusai's early printing, traveling around Japan and documenting 'ordinary life' in the Japanese countryside.

Well more on all of this later! Thanks for stopping by! Keep on collecting!

Book and Antique Collecting News

 

Friday	April 15, 2022				Issue 1
Book Collecting
	SOME BOOK MARKET NEWS
While the dust jacket has some obvious damage, the signature of John Le Carre on this first edition for the Le Carre collector is a great find. A duplicate of higher quality can always be purchased later. Many book collectors have several copies of the same edition, signed. A great way to collect your favorite author is by using the First Edition, Signed (not personalized, unless it’s a famous person), First Issue and collect multiple copies. The number one absolute rule is preservation of the pristine dust jacket. Any damage, even the slightest nick, brings the price down, sometimes appreciably, and alarmingly to the collector. Another rule is don’t buy the books except from a book dealer. All book dealers rely on reputation. So when a bookdealer sells you a signed first edition, first issue in a pristine dust jacket, you can bank on it. Other sites and sellers of first edition, signed books on any of the number of sites, sometimes are not qualified to represent the item you are buying, correctly. Remember the old adage, “if it’s too good to be true, then it probably isn’t true”. I keep a fake Chinese made first US Silver dollar to remind me, while old, it was a forgery, made shortly after the first US trade with China in which dollars were used!				Monthly News The Latest Auctions  Richard Gabriel  March 31, 2021, Forum Auctions in the UK (tinyurl.com/2p8juxzd) had its usual fine selection of books from early to modern. Being a life-long John Le Carre fan, latterly from his very first books till the day he passed. Forum hosted a fine collection of all the Le Carre books, many first editions for both UK and USA and many signed by the author. A great Le Carre novel, set in of course, Germany following world war 2.  Alan Turner, a British spy catcher with the British foreign office, and if he's talking to you, your career is probably over. With gleeful ferocity, he tramples across uncross able boundaries of diplomacy, decency, and class. The year is 1968. The West is mired in the Cold War, the British have lost their empire, young people are rioting all over the globe, the Vietnam War is in full swing, and in Germany, a mysterious and charismatic leader is rising swiftly to power. Le Carre (David Cornwell) was in Germany at this time working for the British Secret Service (MI6) and had many personal issues, which affected the writing of this novel.  Some of the characters and the sites are based on real people and locations. Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi catcher, helped Le Carre understand the ex-Nazi’s.  Serious about Collecting?  Then go to Fine Books & Collecting and sign up for the magazine! Fine Books and Collecting  Book Collecting The book collecting genre has somewhat fallen over the last several years as the much younger generations of people across the world, not just in the USA are turning more and more to the internet, books online, apps and other electronic sources for their reading and viewing habits.  However, there is a bright spot on the future for book collectors! All the electronic versions of whatever is being published can now be sold as non-fungible assets or NFT’s. The trick for all of us in this age of digital transformation is how to convert rare books into non-fungible assets!!  For a primer on NFT’s there is an excellent article by Forbes that does a much better job at explaining the ins-outs of NFT’s and what they can and cannot do.  Go to this link for more information on NFT’s:  Forbes Advisor
Possible Finds? The latest Auctions for April and May 2022
Richard Gabriel		1.   April 13, 2022 -  April 27, 2022, Old World Auctions – Online April Online Auction Sale 187 The Auction will be made up of maps, charts, atlases, engravings, historical documents & books. Time: Wed, Apr 13th 8am - Wed, Apr 27th 10pm. If you are near there, you can go look at the stock: VIEWINGS: Apr 14th - April 27th by appointment.  Old World Auctions   3850 Gaskins Road, Suite 220 Henrico, VA   2.   May 25, 2022, Christie's - New York The Private Collection of William S. Reese Part One  Part One of The Private Collection of William S. Reese will feature New World Exploration and Landmark Americana to 1814. The Christie’s Auction will feature some fabulous and rare works. William S. Reese, one of the premier rare books and ephemera dealers.
One of the best places to find rare books and ephemera are the auction houses. The trend has been increasing over the last few years so here is a list with the links:   3.   April 26, 2022, Sotheby's - New York. Books and Manuscripts from the Collection of Jay I. Kislak. Sold to Benefit the Kislak Family Foundation. To be announced go to Sotheby’s and sign up. This will be a very expensive auction of some top-quality items.   4.   Swann Auction Galleries: Old Master Through Modern Prints & Drawings. Sale #2602   EXHIBITION to be announced soon All the auctions are listed through this link.  Swann Auction Galleries 104 East 25th Street New York, NY

 

April 15, 2022

Calix Books

450B Paradise Rd.

#281

Swampscott, MA 01907

Richard Gabriel

Proprietor

gabriel@calixbooks.com

781-883-6639

http://www.calixbooks.com

At Biblio:

https://www.biblio.com/bookstore/calix-books-swampscott

At eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/str/calixbooks

At BlogSpot:

https://calixbooks.blogspot.com/

The Collection of Civil War Memorabilia- Where to Start?

1911- The Photographic History of the Civil War

The collection of Civil War memorabilia could be a daunting task but a good place to start is the "Semi Centennial Memorial- The Photographic History of the Civil War in Ten Volumes. By Francis Trevelyan Miller; Editor-in-Chief and Robert S. Lanier; Managing Editor. Thousands of Scenes Photographed from 1861-65, with Texts by Many Special Authorities." Copyright by the Patriot Publishing Company, Springfield, Mass. 1911. Stated First Edition.

Ten Volumes Weigh in at 40 pounds

Our Civil War in the United States was a complicated progression of social, communal and political disorder, that was much more complicated than just only the civil rights of the oppressed and exploited slave populations in the Southern States, it was also about the expansion of the United States, past the Mississippi River and into the far west; as well as the Southwest. In the Northeast, Copperheads sprung up who wanted to dissolve the Union and there was a mini-civil war amongst Northerners between the abolitionists, copperheads and unionists. Very complicated.

Racism, bigotry, and fascism abounded across the States, no single State could claim sole proprietorship to the demagoguery, innuendos and outright discrimination against anyone or any institute or group that disagreed. Ideologies regaling or disapproving of the 'Ascent of Man' (Darwin) sprung up across the country. In the South, any 'science' debunking the theory that 'all peoples of the earth are equal' was widely supported (see the story of Louis Agassiz). Religious and moral societies along with a wave of protestant revival across the Northeastern United States, starting in the 1840's led to the 'abolitionists' who were sometimes violent (John Brown) in their approach to freeing the slaves but also holding a philosophical, moral and societal belief, that the slaves were 'lesser' people and even though they should be free, they would not hold the same rights as a white, protestant, christian, educated man and would they be allowed to vote, certainly not. That was the general consensus amongst a vast majority of the population in the US, whether North or South. Adding to this confusion was the continuous prodding by the British, French, Dutch and Spanish monarchies at the shores and borders of the US, also surreptitiously wishing the Union would fail. Also added to the milieu of political, social and economic forces that rapidly spiralled out of control, was the fight between States rights and the Federal government, all leading to one of the worst and bloodiest series of battles in the US.

Antietam -September 17, 1862 -22,717 dead, missing or wounded (the Union Lost)

Mathew Brady photographed the Dead of Antietam: "The New York Times published a review on October 20, 1862, describing how, "Of all objects of horror one would think the battle-field should stand preeminent, that it should bear away the palm of repulsiveness." But crowds came to the gallery drawn by a "terrible fascination" to the images of mangled corpses which brought the reality of remote battlefields to New Yorkers. Viewers examined details using a magnifying glass. "We would scarce choose to be in the gallery, when one of the women bending over them should recognize a husband, a son, or a brother in the still, lifeless lines of bodies, that lie ready for the gaping trenches." [source: wiki} Many of the Brady and other photographers images are found in this series of 

books.

No photos were taken of the actual battle

As the war raged on, Lincoln and his staff became more and more distraught by the events and 

starting with Lincoln's firing of McClellan (who was too cautious) and appointing Grant and 

Sherman, plus his judicious use of the Railroad system in the Northeast, they could move very

large quantities of food, munitions, troops and horses to staging areas; the war turned to their 

favor. This book series with all the photographs will give a collector a look into the actual war. 

Many photos of staging, camps and other recorded actions on both sides, tells the story. It also 

provides the collector with some semblance of some order to collecting. What to hunt for and how

to document a discovery or a find. Close inspection of the uniforms, arms and equipment are good

sources for helping to verify an artifact. The civil war is one of the most documented of wars thanks 

to the advent of photography. This series of volumes is one of the best.

Richard Gabriel         The Photographic History of the Civil War, 1911

                                  Ten Volumes:                                                                      $975.00

Calix Books

Moravian Church- First Edition- 1749

Rare First Edition Book on The Moravian Religion

The story of the Moravian's and Parliament in Britain starts with the loss of the Protestant Tudor Dynasty and the Scottish King; King James I and his son, James II(the last Stuart to be King) and the twisted Religious Politics between France, Spain, Rome, Holland, England, Scotland, Ireland and North America. Also, the recent spat Parliament had with Queen Anne and William and Mary (the Dutch rulers). The new Hanoverian Kings (George I and George II), were seeking groups who would help cement their new reign. 

The Moravian's were, amongst other religious groups, arguably a pawn used by the Hanoverian descendant King of England (King George I and his son, King George II and ultimately King George III) for their own court ends. The Moravian's were ultimately used in Royals and Parliament's attempts to gain control of regions of the world, including the Americas, that frankly were relatively newly acquired by the English.  However, the Moravians saw it differently and behaved differently; as they sent missions not for conquest but to help indigenous peoples and spread their word of God amongst them. While not religious zealots, the group often provided a sanctuary for oppressed protestants from the Continent and set up communities around the world.

Long before Martin Luther nailed his work to the doors of the Catholic church, the Unitas Fratrum (Latin for the "Unity of the Brethren") with its heritage dating back to the Bohemian Reformation in the fifteenth century (Jednota bratrská in Czech) established in Kingdom of Bohemia. The name by which the Church is commonly known comes from the original exiles who fled to Saxony in 1722 from Moravia to escape religious persecution, but its heritage began in 1457 in Bohemia and its crown lands (Moravia and Silesia), then an autonomous kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire (today the Czech Republic). So it's easy to understand, opposing the 'Holy Roman Empire' and the Pope, only led to torture and execution by various means.

Source: Wiki

"The Moravian Church’s emblem is the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) with the flag of victory, surrounded by the Latin inscription: Vicit agnus noster, eum sequamur (English: "Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow Him"). The Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) came to England in the early eighteenth century and was recognised by Act of Parliament (Acta Fratrum 1749) as an ancient Protestant Episcopal Church descended from the Bohemian Brethren of the fifteenth century. Under the leadership of Nicolaus Ludwig, Count von Zinzendorf, who in addition to being a German nobleman (the George's filled their courts with Hanoverians and other German speaking nobles and ladies) was a Bishop of the Moravian Church, it took an active part in the great Evangelical Revival of the eighteenth century and was a pioneer of modern Protestant missionary work (1732). The evangelical revival in Scotland was a series of religious movements in Scotland from the eighteenth century, with periodic revivals into the twentieth century. It began in the later 1730s as congregations experienced intense "awakenings" of enthusiasm, renewed commitment and rapid expansion. This was first seen at Easter Ross in the Highlands in 1739 and most famously in the Cambuslang Wark near Glasgow in 1742." (source: Wiki)

Parliamentary Shift and a New Dynasty Emerges in Britain

The Hanoverian king, George I; after King James II was sent into exile, largely because James sided with the Catholics for control of the Kingdoms of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland with the help of the French Catholics, the Pope and others. This political, religious and governmental nightmare, made the German speaking King George I, uneasy. He often spent more time abroad (in Hanover, Germany) than he did in England. While he and his heir apparent, George II did not get along, they both had keen survival instincts and applied them liberally, aiding and abetting, protestant religious groups to narrow the gap between Parliament and the Royals and further cement their protestant beliefs. The kings also hoped that protestant religious groups like the Moravians could help strengthen their hold on Scotland and attempt to make inroads into Ireland and all the colonies, including the Americas and Canada.

 Portrait of a group of Moravian Church members with King George II of Great Britain, attributed to Johann Valentin Haidt, circa 1752–1754 (wiki)

The Book

Moravian Church.; Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Committee to Whom the Petition of the Deputies of the United Moravian Churches, in Behalf of Themselves and Their United Brethren, was Referred.; Great Britain. A composite volume. Some exemplars arranged differently. First item ([2], 635-638 p.) includes, with separate t.p.: Anno regni Georgii II Regis Magnae Britanniae, Franciae & Hiberniae, vicesimo secundo : at the Parliament begun and holden at Westminster the tenth day of November Anno Dom. 1747 ... London : Printed by Thomas Baskett ... and by the assigns of Robert Baskett, 1749, London: Printed by the Assigns of R. and Edw. Atkins Esquires. For Thomas Basset at the Sign of the George near Cliffords Inn in Fleetstreet. Small 2vo, 12x 7.75 in.  First Edition. [Blank]; 2, [Tittle page, iii]; 7F-5; B-F2; A-I2; K-O2; X-Z2; Aa-Ii2; Kk-Qq2; [Blank].  This copy is bound in full contemporary sheepskin, the pages are crisp but the boards are detached and last section of Epilogue is disbound from major work. Rest is holding. Loss to spine with chips and edges bumped on boards.  Signed on front board by Charles Russell Lowell, Sr. and opposite page by Charles Russell Lowell, Jr. 

Report from the Committee to Whom the Petition of the Deputies of the United Moravian Churches, in behalf of themselves and their United Brethren, Was Referred, together with some extracts of the most material vouchers and papers contained in the Appendix to the said report --Appendix of the most material vouchers and papers referred to in the Report (58 p., 2d count) -- “Unitatis Fratrum fidei, liturgiae et praxeos expositio, tum etiam circa credenda paritèr atque agenda dispensandi ratio -- Enchiridion theologiae patristicae -- Epilogus. (MORAVIAN).

An interesting look at the British government's early encouragement of the settlement of Moravians in the American colonies. OCLC locates only 17 copies. 

The Lowell's

Charles Russell Lowell, Sr. (15 August 1782 in Boston – 20 January 1861 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) was a Unitarian minister and the son of judge John Lowell. Biography: He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and attended The Roxbury Latin School and later Harvard College in 1800 where he studied law and then theology. After two years in Edinburgh, Scotland and one year on the Continent, Lowell was, from 1806 until his death, pastor of the West Congregational (Unitarian) Church of Boston. From that year until 1840, he traveled extensively in Europe and the east. During the latter part of his life Lowell officiated only occasionally in his church. Lowell was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1814, and served on its board of councilors from 1820 to 1853.[4] He married Harriet, daughter of Robert T. Spence, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, an officer in the U. S. Navy. Harvard gave him the degree of D.D. in 1823. He was a fellow of its corporation from 1818 until 1833.  Almost alone, he spoke out from the pulpit against slavery to Boston’s elite. Charles Russell Lowell, Jr (1807-1870), son of Charles Lowell, Sr. and Harriet Traill (Spence) Lowell, solidified the already strong ties between the Lowell and Jackson families by marrying Anna Cabot Jackson, daughter of Patrick Tracy Jackson, in 1832. Jackson, a merchant whose business failed in the Panic of 1837. Charles Russell Lowell devoted the remainder of his career to cataloguing the books of the Boston Athenaeum, while his wife opened and conducted a successful school for young girls in Boston. 

$2,000.00

The Book can be Found at our STORE

1487 The Tudor Rose in the Book Binding of Anton Koberger's Printing of Nicolas De Lyra's Bible

Setting the Stage

I was wandering the hall of the annual Boston Antiquarian Book Fair and found volume 3 of Nicolas De Lyra's work (of a 4 volume set) printed by Anton Koberger in Latin and printed and illuminated in 1487 and in a binding that was missing its hardware (except the clasps). On closer inspection the binding had in small marginella tooled around the borders, what appeared to me to be the 'Tudor Rose'. The bookseller had not noted this in his description, and assuming he was too old and his eyesight was poor, he had overlooked this remarkable tooling or thought it not important. Perhaps it isn't, but it still remains a mystery that after purchasing it, I have been determined to try and solve.

https://bostonbookfair.com/

https://bostonbookfair.com/

I'm not in any of the photos and these were from the 2016 show, which I was unable to attend as I was on a business trip in Poland at the time of the show (much to my regret as I love going to this show, but I also like going to Poland too).

I have kept this book for many years, looking at it and inspecting it and trying to find out more information about to whom it might have been made for during the period (1487). It certainly was made for the English market (because of the Tudor Rose and the Stag deer and other markings) and that started a long quest which has revealed some interesting hints. But yet no clear answers. The other three volumes with similar bindings would have completed the picture. So somewhere out there in the world is an incomplete set of Tudor Rose bindings of the Latin version of Nicolas De Lyra's (1487 Latin Text) Bible, printed and perhaps bound by the Koberger binder of choice for someone in the Tudor family or a closely related and allied Royal Family.

1480's and the Tudors

There were three royal houses (with great wealth and armies of men associated with them) that fought one another during the 100 years war (off and on) and this was known as the 'War of the Roses' symbolized by the White Rose for the house of York and the Red rose for the house of Lancaster. Also in the mix was the house of Plantagenet symbolized by a Sprig of Broom.

The Tudor's dynasty started with a Welshman technically; by birthplace, but who was a male descendant of the infamous Owen Tudor who secretly married King Henry V's (Henry V was a Plantagenet) widow and sprung the dynasty, culminating in the last royal heir of Queen Elisabeth I. Henry VII claimed the throne through royal (somewhat sketchy links) as the last male Lancasterian and fought and won on the battlefield (he was the last king to take title to the English throne through battle, forget Cromwell, he was no King). Rather than trying to paraphrase the information, here is a direct excerpt from Wiki.

"By 1483, Henry's mother was actively promoting him as an alternative to Richard III, despite her being married to a Yorkist, Lord Stanley. At Rennes Cathedral on Christmas Day 1483, Henry pledged to marry the eldest daughter of Edward IV, Elizabeth of York, who was also Edward's heir since the presumed death of her brothers, the Princes in the Tower (King Edward V and his brother Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York). Henry then received the homage of his supporters.

With money and supplies borrowed from his host, Francis II, Duke of Brittany, Henry tried to land in England, but his conspiracy unravelled, resulting in the execution of his primary co-conspirator, the Duke of Buckingham. Now supported by Francis II's prime-minister, Pierre Landais, Richard III attempted to extradite Henry from Brittany, but Henry escaped to France. He was welcomed by the French, who readily supplied him with troops and equipment for a second invasion.

Henry gained the support of the Woodvilles, in-laws of the late Edward IV, and sailed with a small French and Scottish force, landing in Mill Bay, Pembrokeshire, close to his birthplace. He marched towards England accompanied by his uncle Jasper and the Earl of Oxford. Wales was traditionally a Lancastrian stronghold, and Henry owed the support he gathered to his Welsh birth and ancestry, being directly descended, through his father, from Rhys ap Gruffydd.[23] He amassed an army of around 5,000 soldiers.

Henry was aware that his best chance to seize the throne was to engage Richard quickly and defeat him immediately, as Richard had reinforcements in Nottingham and Leicester. Richard only needed to avoid being killed to keep his throne. Though outnumbered, Henry's Lancastrian forces decisively defeated Richard's Yorkist army at the Battle of Bosworth Field on 22 August 1485. Several of Richard's key allies, such as the Earl of Northumberland and William and Thomas Stanley, crucially switched sides or left the battlefield. Richard III's death at Bosworth Field effectively ended the Wars of the Roses, although it was not the last battle Henry had to fight." [Direct quotation from Wiki: Henry VII].

The Roses 

The House of York

The House of Lancaster

The Tudor Rose

(all images from Wiki)

Reportedly, Henry VII had great celebrations to cement his reign that went right through the coronation of his Queen in 1487. Magnificent gifts were brought to court and presented to the kings and queens as well as all their respective 'household'. It was the household that took care of the accounts, managed the personal affairs of both king and queen, each having their own representatives.

Anton Koberger

Anton Koberger (ca 1440-1513) was born to an established Nuremberg family of bakers, and makes his first appearance in 1464 in the Nuremberg list of citizens. In 1470 he married Ursula Ingram and after her death he remarried another member of the Nuremberg patriciate, Margarete Holzschuher, in 1491. In all he fathered twenty-five children, of whom thirteen survived to adulthood. Koberger was the godfather of Albrecht Dürer, whose family lived on the same street. In the year before Dürer's birth in 1471 he ceased goldsmithing to become a printer and publisher. He quickly became the most successful publisher in Germany, absorbing his rivals over the years to become a large capitalist enterprise, with twenty-four presses in operation, printing numerous works simultaneously and employing at its height 100 workers: printers, typesetters, typefounders, illuminators, and the like. In addition, he often contracted with other printers, including Adolf Rusch of Strassbourg and Jacob Sacon of Lyon, to do additional printing work. Koberger printed over 200 titles of incunabula, including 15 different copies of the Latin Bible. His most famous work was the illustrated Nuremberg Chronicles which he published in 1493 in both German and Latin editions. It is believed he printed over 1000 copies of each at a time when most printers issued editions of only 300 copies. It is said that his only business blunder was when he turned down Martin Luther’s request to become Luther’s publisher. Constantly improving his business prospects, he sent out traveling agents and established links with booksellers all over Western Europe, including Venice, Europe's other great centre of printing, Milan, Paris, Lyon, Vienna and Budapest. At the supply end, he obtained two paper mills. His printing house survived his death only until 1526, and the family continued as goldsmiths and jewelers.

Anton Koberger (1440-1513) 'not engraved by Albrecht Durer'

The period of printing and distribution that Koberger started and mastered was later copied in England by William Caxton (1422-1491), who directly served the Tudor family with his publications. While Caxton and Koberger never worked together, Caxton repeated Koberger's successful strategy of integrating all aspects of the book publishing, printing, binding and distribution.

The Koberger Bible Volume 3 with Tudor Roses

The tooling is done on tanned pig skin leather, one of the toughest and most durable leathers (oink, oink...).

Running Stag and Tudor Rose

Over all binding (white areas are where the 'Bosses' were removed, center and corner.

The Center Emblem Surrounded by Vines and Tudor Roses

An Additional Feature that is not clear but appears to have grapes and a bunch of flowers? Could it be Plantagenet Broom Flowers?

Prologue- Opening for Volume 3

Previous ownership and period hand titling, notice on the inside seam the exposure of an older velum document...

Only a few lines are visible of the older velum document (used to bind the book).

Koberger signature and declaring the volume to be the work of Nicolas De Lyra

One of the engravings found in the book...

Engraving

A floor plan---

The Book Description

De Lyra, Nicolaus. Bible in Latin. Nuremberg, 1487; Anton Koberger. 348 leaves, complete and in a contemporary binding of blind-stamped pig skin, with clasps remaining; possibly from the Koberger workshop. Emblems include the Tudor Rose and the running Stag as well as an unknown center board symbol. Worm holes are present in the first and last few leaves with occasional browning on some of the leaves. Small paper loss on several of the leaves but not affecting text. Illustrated and a fine example of a incunabula of this period. Part 3 of the 1487 bible in Latin. BMC vol. 2, 431; Unusual collation but complete: AA10-GG10, HH12; JJ10-MM10, N12; OO8; PP10-TT10, U6; XX6; YY10-ZZ10; aaa10-fff10, g8; hhh8, jjj10-mmm10, n8.

Nicholas Of Lyra (c. 1270–October 1349), or Nicolaus Lyranus, a Franciscan teacher, was among the most influential practitioners of Biblical exegesis in the Middle Ages. He was a doctor at the Sorbonne by 1309 and ten years later was appointed the head of all Franciscans in France. His major work, Postillae perpetuae in universam S. Scripturam, was the first printed commentary on the Bible. Printed in Rome in 1471, it was later available in Venice, Basel, and elsewhere. In it, each page of Biblical text was printed in the upper center of the page and embedded in a surrounding commentary Nicolas of Lyra's approach to explicating Scripture was firmly based on the literal sense, which for him is the foundation of all mystical or allegorical or anagogical expositions. He deplored the tortured and elaborated readings being given to Scripture in his time. The textual basis was so important that he urged that errors be corrected with reference to Hebrew texts, an early glimmer of techniques of textual criticism, though Nicholas urged as a good Catholic that the traditions of the Church were of equal weight to Scripture:

"I protest that I do not intend to assert or determine anything that has not been manifestly determined by Sacred Scripture or by the authority of the Church... Wherefore I submit all I have said or shall say to the correction of Holy Mother Church and of all learned men..." (Second Prologue to Postillae).

Nicholas utilized all sources available to him, fully mastered Hebrew and drew copiously from the Talmudic commentaries, the Pugio Fidei of Raymond Martini and of course the commentaries of St. Thomas Aquinas. His lucid and concise exposition, his soundly-based observations made Postillae the most-consulted manual of exegesis until the 16th century. Martin Luther depended upon it. When E.A. Gosselin compiled a listing of the printed editions of works by Nicolaus de Lyra, it ran to 27 pages (in Traditio 26 (1970), pp 399-426). He was born in the village of Vieille-Lyre, Normandy, hence his name. Like others in the 14th century, he was occupied by the possibility of the conversion of the Jews, to whom he dedicated hortatory addresses. He wrote Pulcherrimae quaestiones Iudaicam perfidam in catholicam fide improbantes, which was one of the sources Martin Luther used in his On the Jews and Their Lies.

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