BERSUIRE, Pierre [Berchorius, Petrus. Bercheure. Berceure. Berthore]

Folio, 19th century full calf, raised bands to spine, boards blind rolled at edges, marbled end-papers. [12], 221, [i] leaves (AA-BB6, a-z6, A-O6 lacking blank O6). Title page in red and black with decorative architectural border by Urs Graf. Adam Petri’ s mark depicting arms of Basel supported by two basilisks). Generally in very good condition. Spine decorations rubbed, upper hinge starting. Internally very tight and crisp, no annotations nor marks of ownership. Old worm holes to much of text, but isolated and not affecting integrity of paper; legibility may be very slightly affected on some leaves. Lacks final blank (O6). Rare post incunabula printing of Biblical work by the Benedictine monk Pierre Bersuire (c.1290 – 1362). The Reductorium Morale to the Sacred Scriptures in thirty-four books, embracing all the books of the Bible. Also known as the Liber Bibliae Moralis. Printed at Ulm and Strasburg in 1474, in Basel in 1515, and in Lyon in 1536. Bersuire was noted for his extraordinary memory and his early encyclopaedic work in Biblical commentary.The printer and publisher, Adam Petri, was one of the first in Basel to work with illustrators, collaborating with the notorious Urs Graf as well as Hans Holbein the Younger. The present volume features an Urs Graf decorated title page with publishing details and Petri’s device inset.