Lacinio, Pretiosa margarita nouella de thesauro, Venice, Sons of Aldo, 1546, seventeenth-century brown calf

LACINIO, GIANO. Pretiosa margarita nouella de thesauro, ac pretiosissimo philosophorum lapide. Artis huius diuinae typus, et methodus: collectanea ex Arnaldo, Rhaymundo, Rhasi, Alberto, et Michaele Scoto; per Ianum Lacinium Calabrum nunc primum, cum lucupletissimo indice, in lucem edita. Venice: Sons of Aldo Manuzio, 1546

First edition of this compilation of alchemical writings, edited by Giano Lacinio. The New Pearl of Great Price is usually attributed to the fourteenth-century writer Petrus Bonus of Ferrara, though this compilation also includes the writings of Arnaldus of Villanova, Raymund Llull, Albertus Magnus, Rhasis and Michael Scotus.

8vo (151 x 94 mm). Italic type, I1:82, 30 lines plus headline. Collation: *-**⁸ ***⁴ A-Z⁸ AA-CC⁸ DD¹⁰: 238 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device on title-page and final verso, woodcut illustrations. (Scattered staining, loss to corner of ***2 costing one word.)

Binding: Seventeenth-century brown calf (157 x 102 mm), spine gilt in compartments, brown and red morocco labels to spine, blue marbled endpapers, red speckled edges. (Rubbed with losses to head and tail of spine and corners, joints weak, old leather repairs to corners and lower board.)

Provenance: Unidentified owner, inscription, "Ex bibliotheca Crispini Podii," on titlepage — unidentified owner, inscription, "Ex libris Francisci Crozel, I.V.D," on title-page — unidentified owner, inscription, "Chas. Feutenay(?)," — Thomas Ball Criss (1860-1913), ex libris dated 1902 — Globe Bookstore, Catalogue One, Los Angeles [1970?], item, 76 ($650) — Haven O'More (1929-2008), purchased March 1975 — Garden Ltd., Sotheby's New York, 9-10 November 1989, lot 55. Acquisition: Purchased at Sotheby's via Martin Breslauer Inc. References: UCLA 352; Renouard 135/6; Edit16 26961; USTC 837068