[Rarebooks] fa: WYNKYN DE WORDE - 14 LEAVES of THE GOLDEN LEGENDE - 1527

[Ardwight Chamberlain]

Listed now, auction ending Sunday, May 29. More details and images can  
be found at the URL below or by searching under the seller name  
arch_in_la.

http://shop.ebay.com/arch_in_la/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562

Thanks,
Ardwight Chamberlain
L.A.

[Jacobus de Voragine:] Thus endeth the legende, named in latyn  
Lege[n]da aurea that is to saye in englysshe the golden legende. For  
lyke as golde passeth all other metalles, so this boke exceedeth all  
other bokes... Finysshed the. xxvii. daye of August, the yere of our  
lord. M.CCCCC.xxvii. the. xix. yere of the regne of our souerayne  
lorde kynge Henry the eyght. Imprynted at London in Flete strete at  
the sygne of the sonne, by Wynkyn de Worde. [London: Wynkyn de Worde,  
1527]. Rosenwald 1219; STC 24880; ESTC S111988.

Consists of the final fourteen leaves, CCC.lxxi to CCC.lxxxiiii  
[371-384], signatures 2x.iii to 2y.viii, complete, from "The life of  
saynt Fyacre" to "The life of saynt Erasmus bishop & martyr,"  
including the final leaf (badly damaged, with loose and missing  
pieces) showing the colophon with the elaborate printer's device of de  
Worde on the verso. Leaves measure ca. 28 x 18.5 cm (11 x 7.25 in),  
printed on rectos and versos, two columns per page in black letter.  
Laid paper with vertical chain lines 2.5 cm apart. One woodcut  
illustration, on the verso of leaf CCClxxxii. Watermarks visible on  
four leaves: a bull head on leaves CCClxxxi and CCClxxxii and a raised  
open hand with middle finger connected by a straight line or stem to a  
five-pointed star  (see image below) on leaves CCClxxiii and  
CCClxxxiii, both watermarks being characteristic of the period.

Not facsimiles. These are the real deal. Guaranteed. Authenticated  
with the help of curators at the William Andrews Clark (UCLA) and  
Huntington Libraries. On the downside, however, they've been  
mishandled in the past: possibly "washed" at some earlier time in a  
misguided attempt to remove soiling and stains, certainly improperly  
stored and maintained; ergo, the leaves are brittle, resulting in  
toning, chipping and cracking. None of the other leaves is as badly  
damaged as the final colophon leaf (above), but some show extensive  
chipping to the edges, occasionally affecting the text. One leaf  
(CCC.lxxviii) has neatly split into two pieces and several others show  
cracking/splitting to various degrees. Each leaf is now laid into a  
protective mylar sleeve. A remarkable find, well worth preservation/ 
restoration. LARGER/HIGHER RES. IMAGES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST....