Bartholomeu[s] de proprietatib[us] re[rum].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bartholomaeus, Anglicus, active 13th century.

Contributor:

Trevisa, John, -1402.

Worde, Wynkyn de, -1534?, printer.

Incunable Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

STC Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Standardized Title:

De proprietatibus rerum. English

Language:

English

Latin

Subjects (All):

Encyclopedias and dictionaries--Early works to 1600.

Encyclopedias and dictionaries.

Science, Medieval--Early works to 1800.

Science, Medieval.

Medicine, Medieval.

Zoology--Pre-Linnean works.

Zoology.

Botany--Pre-Linnean works.

Botany.

Genre:

Incunabula -- England -- Westminster -- 1495.

Printers' devices (Printing) -- England -- Westminster -- 15th century.

Penn Provenance:

De Trafford, Humphrey F. (Humphrey Francis), Sir, 1862-1929 (armorial binding) (bookplate)

Harshberger, John W. (John William), 1869-1929 (bookplate) (donor)

McClure, Edmund, d. 1922 (bookplate)

Physical Description:

[478] leaves (leaf [6] blank) : ill. ; 30 cm. (fol.)

Fingerprint:

d-co ++++ ++++ ++++ (C) 1495 (Q)

Place of Publication:

[Westminster : Wynkyn de Worde, ca. 1495]

Notes:

Translated from the Latin by John Trevisa in 1398.

Title from title leaf.

Imprint from ISTC.

"To produce an English text with a full illustration cycle, de Worde and his staff worked from at least four books: the principal copy-text, Columbia University Plimpton MS 263 ...; an untraced version for Bk. 3 chapter 23-Bk. 5 chapter 38 and perhaps also for Bk. 1; the first of the printed French translations to be illustrated, published by Mathias Huss in Lyons (1482, 1485, 1491); and the edition of a Dutch translation published by Jacob Bellaert in 1485 in Haarlem ..."--S.E. Holbrook, "A medieval scientific encyclopedia 'renewed by goodly printing,'" Early science and medicine 3 (1998), p. 132-133.

Chancery folio, printed in double columns. Leaf h7r: 42 lines to a full column, plus headline; area of text: 200 x 140 mm.; col. width: 67 mm. Printed initials and paragraph marks. With signatures; without foliation or catchwords. Rubrication not called for. Xylographic title (white on black) on recto of first leaf and verso of last leaf. Large woodcut printer's device (McKerrow 1; 129 x 104 mm.) of Wynkyn de Worde (inherited from William Caxton, with his monogram) on leaves [con]8r and 2o6r. Nineteen large woodcut illustrations: pt. 1 has one each on leaves A3r, B8v, c6r, e3r, f6v, m2r o4r, s7v, y1v, z6v and [et]3v; pt. 2 has one each on leaves A1r, C2r, D7v, F3v, K2r, M5v, X5v, and 2h3r. For a full description of these illustrations, see E. Hodnett, English woodcuts 1480-1535 (London: The Bibliographical Society, 1935), nos. 1298-1316.

"For his pictures, de Worde turns to the Bellaert edition [Haarlem, 1485], which has eleven woodcuts, and the Huss edition [Lyons, 1482, 1485, 1491], which has twenty. Adapting seven of Bellaert's eleven drawings [for books 1-3, 6, 8, 12 and 13] and twelve of Huss's twenty [for books 4-5, 7, 9-11, and 14-19], de Worde supplies a full picture cycle, primarily depending on Huss to supplement the incomplete Bellaert program, but twice preferring Huss [in books 9 and 18]."--S.E. Holbrook, "A medieval scientific encyclopedia 'renewed by goodly printing,'" Early science and medicine 3 (1998), p. 135.

Signatures: pt. 1: A⁶ B⁸ b⁶ c-z⁸ [et]⁶ [con]⁸ (leaf A6 blank; leaf n3 signed "n ii"); pt. 2: A-U⁸ X-Z⁶ 2a-2c⁸ 2d-2g⁶ 2h⁸ 2I⁸ 2k-2m⁸ 2n⁴ 2o⁶.

Local Notes:

Leaf size: 283 x 190 mm.

Penn Libraries copy has a few early ms. marginal annotations and marks in text (including recipes in tail margin of leaf r5r and fore-edge margin of leaf s7r); early ms. sketch in tail margin of leaf y1v; modern ms. bibliographical notes in pencil on front pastedown; list of damaged and missing leaves in modern ms. in pencil on front free endpaper; typescript slip with bookseller's description (of this copy?) affixed to foot of front free endpaper; occasional modern ms. notes regarding missigned, damaged or missing leaves in text.

Penn Libraries copy from the library of John W. Harshberger.

Penn Libraries copy has armorial bookplate of Sir Humphrey Francis de Trafford on front pastedown; illustrated bookplate of Edmund McClure on front pastedown; illustrated bookplate of John W. Harshberger (1869-1929), dated in ms. Nov. 16, 1923, on verso of front free endpaper.

Penn Libraries copy bound in full parchment; boards double-ruled in blind; gold-tooled red leather spine label ("BARTHOLOMEII DE PROPRIETATIBUS RERUM."); crest of the Trafford family (a man holding a flail, with motto in a banderole above: NOW THUS) stamped in gold beneath a row of blind double rules at head of spine; imprint ("WYNKYN DE WORDE. CIRCA. 1490.") within two rows of blind double rules at foot of spine; red-bordered paper label with illegible ms. shelf-mark ink red on spine; all edges gilt.

Penn Libraries copy imperfect: pt. 1: gatherings A (including title leaf and blank leaf A6), B and b-c wanting; leaves d1-d2, d4-d5, e1, e3-e4, e7-f2, f7-g1, g3-h6, n2, v8 and x1 wanting. Missing leaves A1-A3 (including title leaf), B7-B8 and e3 each has a modern facsimile bound in its place.

Penn Libraries copy imperfect: pt. 2: gathering H and leaves G1, 2h3, 2m2, and 2m7-2o6 wanting. Missing leaves 2h3 and 2o3-2o6 each has a modern facsimile bound in its place.

Penn Libraries copy: pt. 1: leaf f5 bound in verso-first; leaf e5 bound in out of order after leaf f5.

Penn Libraries copy: pt. 1: leaves d3, d6-d8, e2, e5-e6, f3-f6, g2, o4-o5, t1, and x6 each variously mutilated at margins with occasional damage to or loss of headline and minor damage to or loss of text (usually supplied in ms.) and reinforced on verso at damaged margins with a blank leaf; occasional leaves damaged at fore-edge margin and reinforced on verso with a blank leaf; tears in numerous leaves, usually mended (occasionally with minor obscuration of text); some leaves at beginning of volume dampstained at outer margins.

Penn Libraries copy: pt. 2: tail outer corner of leaf G8 torn off and replaced with a blank leaf with minor loss of text; head outer corner of leaf X5 torn off and replaced with a blank leaf with damage to illustration on verso (missing portion of image supplied in ms.); occasional leaves damaged at fore-edge margin and reinforced on verso with a blank leaf; tears in numerous leaves, usually mended (occasionally with minor obscuration of text); some leaves at end of volume dampstained at outer margins; a few wormholes in fore-edge margin of some leaves at end of volume.

Penn Libraries copy: backstrip partially detached from spine.

Cited in:

Goff B-143

BM 15th cent. XI, p. 200

GW 3414

Walsh, J.E. 15th cent. printed books, 3994

ISTC ib00143000

STC (2nd. ed.) 1536

OCLC:

80447907