Written in Law French with some Latin, and with extended passages entirely in English in the section on “forrest” law; printed in black letter.

Provenance: Contemporary inked signatures to fly-leaf of Henry Wynn/Wine (Middle Temple?).

•  ESTC S109077; STC (2nd ed.) 6050; Lowndes, I, 558.   Contemporary limp vellum with remnants of ties. Pinhole or small worming throughout to top margins, touching a few letters in headings; light waterstaining to margins/corners of first/last leaves; one preliminary with just a very little bug-spotting. Paper flaws in margins of ff. 45, 164, and 172; last leaf a little tattered. Overall, very good. (21344)

Provenance:  Rolle family armorial bookplate.

•  ESTC R10688; Wing (rev.) H1578; Allibone 813.   Contemporary sheep, covers framed in blind double fillets; leather rubbed and scuffed, partially cracked along front joint. All edges marbled. Pastedowns peeled up, front pastedown with early inked inscription; inside front cover with armorial bookplate. Title-page with inked numeral in upper outer corner. (21012)

•  STC (rev.) 17947; ESTC S121879; Allibone 1325; Vancil 165. On Minsheu, see: Dictionary of National Biography.   Period-style morocco framed and panelled in gilt rolls with gilt-stamped corner fleurons, spine with original gilt-stamped leather title-label, gilt-ruled raised bands, and gilt-stamped decorations in compartments (signed by Grace Bindings in blind at inner area of rear cover, lower turn-in). Title-page institutionally rubber-stamped. Some age-toning and light to moderate spotting; one leaf with tear from outer margin into several lines of text, without loss; last leaf with small hole affecting a few words. (21047)

This handsome edition is printed in around Italian gothic typeface of the sort used for theological works. Guide letters have been printed for initials (unaccomplished); the title-page gives the title above a poem in praise of Peter of Aquila. A table of the questions precedes the text, and at the end is a simply printed register and colophon, with a cipher SL as the printer’s mark. The editio princeps of this work was published in 1480, and two other incunable editions preceded this, the first 16th-century edition. This edition is uncommon: we were able to trace only three copies in the U.S.

Binding: Deep walnut full calf old style (showing lighter than it is, in our picture): Round spine with raised bands, accented in gilt and with blind-tooled devices in compartments, and with oxblood leather labels, gilt-lettered; fillets extending onto covers from each band to terminate in trefoils and covers framed in blind double fillets.

•  Adams P876. On Peter of Aquila, see: New Catholic Encyclopedia, XI, 210. On Peter Lombard, see: New Catholic Encyclopedia, XI, 221–22. Binding as above; library rubber-stamps, including on title- and last (blank) page. Light waterstaining throughout. a1–8 with chipping or bumping on corners, more obvious on the lower inner and outer corners, not touching print. Title-page very lightly soiled with a few spots of staining. Two inked ownership inscriptions on title-page; some terse marginalia; inked title on fore-edge.

Almost entirely printed in Fraktur type, the work has a title-page in red and black and a frontispiece depicting “Mahvmed,” attributed to “G.U.” OCLC and RLIN locate only two copies of this edition, with only one in the U.S.

•  19th-century speckled paper–covered boards, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label; paper worn over joints and extremities, title-label darkened and rubbed, spine with shelving label. Pages age-toned, with offsetting.