Eukleria seu Melioris Partis electio. Tractatus brevem vitæe ejus Delineationem exhibens (Eukleria, or Choosing the Better Part. A Treatise presenting a short Description of a life) & Vita Alberti Walsteini, ducis Friedlandiæ, &c. Ex Italico Galeacii Gualdi, in latinam sermonem translata. Labore ac studio Josuæ Arndii. (The Life of Albert Wallenstein Leader of Friedlandia) & Trutina statuum Europæ olim scripta ab Illustrissimo Duce de Rohan (The Former State of Balance in Europe, written by the illustrious Duke of Rohan).

TP + 3-207 + [208] = Lectori S. + Errata. First Edition.[bound after]TP + 3-135, First Latin Edition [bound after]TP + [i] = Dedication page + [ii] = Poem + [iii] = Ad Lectorem + [iv] = Tabula Discursuum + [1]-194 + [195]-[200] = Hymnus + 1 blank leaf, Editio Altera.By 1664, at the age of 57, Schurman was completely disgusted with her life, her fame and the constant stream of visitors who imposed so severely on her time. At this crossroad, she met the Pietist, Jean de Labadie, a former Jesuit who had converted to Protestantism and then founded a contemplative religious sect known as Labadism. Anna Maria was fascinated by Labadie and his ideas and she completely abandoned her former life and joined his religious community. Nine years later, she published this autobiography, taking her title from Luke 10:42 where Martha's sister, Mary, "chooses the better part" by sitting at Christ's feet rather than helping out in the kitchen.The autobiography encompassed the whole of her life up to that point, providing an excellent window into contemporary attitudes and practices (most especially in relation to women) along with a clear exposition of the religious ferment that so permeated Dutch society throughout that time. Anna Marie's late conversion to Labadism did, of course, color much of her presentation but the book is, as noted by her biographer Una Birch, characterized by "a sincere effort after self-portrayal, and of which the pages were only written after prolonged self-examination and searching of the heart." (p. 146)Later in her life, Anna Marie was in "horror of posthumous notoriety" (Birch, p. 188) and she destroyed all of her correspondence (although many letters were fortunately beyond her reach). At the very end of her life, she composed a second autobiographical volume which focused almost exclusively on her religious sensibilities and beliefs. That book (not offered here) was published as a separate volume in 1685, seven years after her death.The next book in this sammelband is the first Latin edition of Gualdo Priorato's biography of Albrecht Wallenstein, the Duke of Friedland. The Italian original was published in 1643 and thisLatin translation is made by Josua Arnd twenty-five years later. Priorato's biography is still one of the main near contemporary sources to the life and fate of Wallenstein, the famous "Generalissimo" in the Thirty Years War, who was murdered in 1634. The final book is Henri de Rohan's political analysis of contemporary Europe which was also compiled and edited by Josua Arnd (the translator of the Wallenstein biography described above). An absolutely beautifully preserved contemporary velum binding with the most minimal soiling one could expect of a book well over 300 years old. With 7 lines of contemporary Rathenow". (The Rohan book does not.) In the same ink and contemporary hand as the inside cover, the verso of the TP of the autobiography is covered with 30 lines of notes describing the chapters. The text is then clean and bright up until page 200 where occasional neat red pencil (and sometimes black ink)underlinings occur right through and including the final page, 207. Otherwise, this is a truly lovely copy of thisrevealing 17th century autobiography by a well-educated and extremely well-connected woman. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.…