| Presented for sale by Phil Barber, Post Office Box 8694, Boston, Mass. 02114-0036 Telephone (617) 492-4653 |
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About This Era and its Books
Before Gutenberg introduced the art of printing from movable type to the western world in 1455, all books were copied by hand. The results of the scribes' work were beautiful books, each one a unique treasure. The process of handwriting books was however laborious and expenisve. It insured that books, and the knowledge they contained, remained accessible only to the small, wealthy elite of nobility and clergy who held absoliute sway over European and English life. With the invention of printing, everything changed. Within a few decades the accumulated wisdom of the world was being reproduced abundantly at a cost far lower than had ever been dreamed possible. This explosion of knowledge was key to the development of universal literacy, science, trade, travel, and commerce. And most profoundly, with the promulgation knowledge and reason came a new reverence for the rights and dignity of the individual, which would eventually relegate kings and emperors and prelates to the dustbin of history. About The Leaves in This Catalog
No complete books were vandalized to obtain these fine leaves. Rather, signatures or individual pages were rescued from books that were incomplete, or otherwise defective, in accordance with the generally accepted principles of the antiquarian book trade, which state " if a book is already incomplete, it is considered acceptable to remove and sell parts of the book." Edwin V. Glaser, quoted in A B Bookman's Weekly. Don't be astonished by my low prices, these are the finest quality original leaves that are obtainable, and which you might find elsewhere priced at much greater cost. It is my policy to price my items based on what I believe to be their fair market value. I do not set prices at absurdly inflated levels to take advantage of novices or "investors"; nor do I employ the common ploy of starting with an unrealistically high price in order to "negotiate" a phony discount later. It has always been my policy to present my catalog items at "wholesale to the public" prices. Therefore all catalog items and quoted prices are net, and are not subject to further discount, either for dealers or in consideration of quantity orders. As over a third of our catalog orders are from dealers buying for resale, at our stated prices, we have every confidence that this policy maintains an ethical standard of integrity and fairness to all. Pictures of Cataloged Items
Please note that the camera flash tends to exaggerate foxing and spotting, some degree of which is normal in old paper and which is not so dramatic in person!
Your comments are always welcome, as are your inquiries, if you have questions about these remarkable historic collectibles. We value our customers, and appreciate the confidence you place in us when ordering from our on line catalogs. We strive to merit your patronage and to enrich your collecting experience through accurate, knowledgeable descriptions, honest pricing, courteous service, and timely order filling. Our Glossary of terms web page may be reviewed for definitions of the descriptive terminology used in our catalogs and in the rare book trade generally. You can go to our e-mail want list form for special requests. Enjoy your browsing!
 An information page about the history and collectibility of early manuscripts is available for viewing now by selecting this link.
LB-117. Manuscript Leaf from Carta Executoria, a Pedimento del Consejo de la Villa de Ceveco de la Torre..., written at Valladolid, Spain in 1525. Folio size, measuring 9" x 13½". Manuscript on vellum, vernacular Spanish language text written in formal Rotunda script in brown ink with initial strokes in contrasting colors, primarily yellow, the whole enclosed within red borders and line guides extending into the wide blank margins. 
Antiphonal LeavesThe Antiphonal is a collection of Sacred Hymns and music used in church services, and was traditionally written on oversized folio leaves in order to be visible to all members of the choir as they sang. This expedient was widely employed simply because the cost of vellum and the labor of copying a normal sized book for each individual in the choir would be prohibitively great. Ironically, it remained more economical for such volumes to be written by hand than to be printed in such oversized format. Adding to the economy of continuing the old practice was the fact that the labor of the monks was available free of charge. Heavy handmade paper came in use as the cost of sheepskin began to rise in the mid-1600's, and these leaves always exhbit more evidence of usage than those written on the more duirable vellum. The Antiphonal was among the prized possessions of a church and most saw use every Sunday and Feast day, literally for centuries. Today these very large format early leaves are highly prized by the modern collector for display. I am pleased to be able to offer a few herewith.  "Incunabula" refers to works printed in the first half century of printing, dating 1455 to 1500. They are the most highly prized of all collectible leaves and books. For more information about Incunabula select here.
I hope you have enjoyed this modest catalog, and have found its contents useful and informative. Please feel free to e-mail your questions and comments to our address below. We look forward to hearing from you! 
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Contents ©:2009 Phil Barber. |
All leaves in this catalog are unconditionally guaranteed to be genuine and correctly described and attributed. Each leaf comes with a complete written identification, specifying complete bibliographical data (author, title, date and place of writing or of printing and printer) plus all other relevant descriptive and historical information. 
