HAND-BÜCHLEIN DER KLEINEN UND DEMÜTHIGEN. HANDBOOK FOR THE SMALL AND HUMBLE
1718ST19567-108Cöllen: Wilhelm Metternich 1718. 103 x 60 mm. 4 1/16 x 2 3/8". 6 p.l. 232 pp. <br/> Pleasing contemporary sprinkled calf raised bands spine densely gilt in compartments with central fleuron and leafy cornerpieces marbled endpapers. In a repaired cardboard slipcase. Front pastedown with book label of Abel E. Berland. Shallow chip across head of spine extremities a bit rubbed small abrasion and half a dozen minor scratches to lower board text a bit browned with occasional mild foxing because of inferior paper quality a handful of leaves trimmed a bit close at head without loss of text but still a very satisfactory copy clean and fresh internally and in its sound pleasant original binding.<br/> <br/> This is a rare edition of a pocket-sized High German translation of a portion of Blosius' "Instructions for the Ascetic Life" written for monks and nuns. Blosius also known as Louis de Blois 1506-66 entered the Abbey of Liessies in Flanders when he was 14 and became its abbot at 24. He reformed the lax monastic practices of his predecessors and wrote a number of popular works on spirituality that were widely translated. The present volume comes from the very distinguished collection of Chicago bibliophile Abel Berland 1915-2010. The sale of books from his library at Christie's in New York on 8 and 9 October 2001 was one of the most important bibliophilic events of the new century bringing in more than $14000000. Wilhelm Metternich unknown
