Opus insigne beati patris Cyrilli patriarche Alexandrini in evangelium Ioannis: a Georgio Trapezotio traductu. Paris: Wolfgang Hopyl, Jean Petit, and Thielman Kerver, 1508, folio.
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A lovely very scarce first edition thus of St Cyril's Commentary on John's Gospel, especially notable for being the combined work of three important Parisian printers who are usually associated with printed books of hours, missals, etc - Hopyl, Petit, and Kerver. This edition has a beautiful woodcut title page and was reprinted several times through the post-incunable period. Only 12 copies are reported in institutional holdings worldwide, with just one copy in all of North America.
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Size: 199 x 276 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[(1), a–o⁸, p³, A¹⁰ (–A²), B–G⁸, H⁶, p⁴–⁷, q–z⁸, A–C⁸, D⁴, (1)]
18th century vellum spine with laid down tooled label, dulled with some discolouration, paper backed boards with vellum corners. Both boards are securely attached, book stands without shelf lean. Later blanks.
Lacks two leaves (A2, and p8), else collates as complete. This edition is known to have a very strange foliation and has 64 leaves inserted between p3 and p4; these comprise books 5-8 of the 12 books and are possibly from a later issue as they are separately foliated and not included in the register; these leaves were possibly printed a few years later in 1514. The book itself makes reference to the many printing errors in the rather extensive 4pp. errata section of the register bound in at the rear. Last few quires partially detached. Generally very bright and clean throughout with some scattered foxing/toning in the middle of the text block for a few quires. Else a well preserved and attractive copy.
[Adams C3177; USTC 143407; Pettegree 63843; Brunet II, 462; Baden V, 149.143].
