Lot 21
  • 21

Bishop, John

Estimate
3,500 - 4,500 USD
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Description

  • Beautiful Blossomes, gathered … from the best trees of all kyndes, Divine, Philosophicall, Astronomicall, Cosmographicall, historical & Humane, that are growing in Greece, Latinum, and Arabia, and some also in vulgar orchards, as wel fro[m] those that in auncien time were grafted, as also from them which have with skilful head and hand beene of late yeares, yea, and in our dayes planted: to the unspeakable, both pleasure and profite of all such as wil vouchsafe to use them. London: Henrie Cockyn, 1577
  • paper, ink, leather
4to (7 3/4 x 5 3/4 in.; 197 x 142 mm). Black letter, title within ornamental typographic border, historiated woodcut initials, errata leaf at end; marginal creases in lower right corner of title-page, repaired tear at X1. Contemporary limp vellum.

Provenance

Contemporary ownership motto ("Patet que perdit, arcta virtutis via") on title — Sion College Library (inked stamp on verso of title)

Literature

STC 3091; Lowndes I, 209

Condition

Condition as described in catalogue entry.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

First edition. A collection of moral examples from biblical, classical and historical sources of vices and virtues and their rewards. Of particular interest is the account, in the chapter on the "unutterable torments of love," of the young man who "begat upon his mother a childe, the which he afterward married," used by Walpole as the basis of his tragedy The Mysterious Mother (1768).