Museum Italicum seu collectio veterum scriptorum ex bibliothecis Italicis, Tomus I, II [volumes I and II]

Johanne [Jean] Mabillon; D. Michaele

Published by Edmundi Martin, Johannem Boudot, Stephanum Martin 1687, 1689, Paris, 1687

About this Item

[xx], 244, 397, [xi] pp. + 12 engraved plates; [viii], clviii, [i], 617 pp.; 4to (vol. II, published two years after vol. I, is a little taller), later quarter vellum, calf sides over boards; leather title labels. Of the 12 full-page engravings, 4 are fold-outs; head and tailpieces; plus a few linecut illustrations. Jean Mabillon (1632-1707) was a monk of the French Benedictine congregation of St. Maur. In 1685, the king of France sent Mabillon (accompanied by another monk) on a tour through Italy in search of early Church-historical books and manuscripts for the Royal Library. Mabillon secured over 3,000 items, and these two volumes report on the monks' journey. Mabillon's application of a disciplined, orderly and logical method to assess and determine the authenticity of early manuscript materials by, in part, examining and studying their writing has led him to be considered the founder of palaeography. Museum Britanicum [i.e., British Museum library] stamp on verso of title pages and end pages (no other markings), with additional stamp indicating these volumes were for sale in its 1831 sale of duplicates. Also with a few modern Mendham Collection pencil shelfmarks. Textblocks disbound, and intentionally left in this state, with the original boards and later vellum backstrips attached together to form chemise-like covers. The backstrips are made from early manuscript fragments, remain visible, and may make for interesting further research on their identification. Boards rather rubbed; text block of vol. I split; varying amounts of browning and foxing in vol. I, some pages a little dusty, ffep chipped at edges; vol. II pages are relatively clean.

Seller Inventory # 2082

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Museum Italicum seu collectio veterum scriptorum ex bibliothecis Italicis, Tomus I, II [volumes I and II]
• Publisher: Edmundi Martin, Johannem Boudot, Stephanum Martin 1687, 1689, Paris
• Publication Date: 1687
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Good