Fifty Mediaeval and Renaissance Manuscripts with 84 Color Illustrations on 52 Plates, 6 Line Engravings in the Text and 109 Halftones on 52 Plates (Catalogue 88)
New York: H. P. Kraus, 1958. Hardcover. Heavy beige linen/boards. Gilt stamped lettering. 167 pp. with illustrations as listed in the title. H.P. Kraus business card, and notice of items for sale laid in. In addition, Volume III, No. 5 (November 1958) issue of Rare Books: Notes on the History of Old Books and Manuscripts, Published for the Friends and Clients of H.P. Kraus, is laid in. 12 pages with 10 bw illustrations and one tipped-on color image. Book generally clean and tight but with foxing to covers and a few page edges. The Rare Books issue has some foxing to first/last pages and a bit of age toning in general. No other marks to either volume. Item #150148.1
An exceptionally thorough catalogue with several tipped-in illustrations in vibrant color. The contents include an index of authors and titles, a list of scribes, illuminators and scriptoria, a list of previous owners, and an introductory note by Hellmut Lehmann-Haupt, a rare books expert and the bibliographical consultant to Kraus. The manuscripts themselves are divided into sections of Early Mediaeval, Gothic (Engladn, Central Europe, France/Netherlands, Italy) and Renaissance. With a brief memorial to Hans Nachod, classical archaeologist and former employee who worked on this catalogue for over a year but never saw its completion. A section of supplementary plates closes the volume. Everything exceedingly well-annotated.
Price: $80.00