Assertionum Martini Lutheri Confutatio – John Fisher – 1525 | Bound in Manuscript

Assertionum Martini Lutheri Confutatio, written by John Fisher and printed in 1525 in Cologne, addresses the positions of Martin Luther from a Catholic standpoint. This first edition was produced while Fisher still held his position as an English bishop before his arrest under Henry VIII. The text was composed in Latin and printed by Hittorpius. It stands among the earliest printed rebuttals of Lutheran doctrine by an English figure.

This copy is bound in manuscript vellum from the 15th century, likely taken from a religious book. Early readers added occasional marginal notes. The volume is rare and original to its time, with complete text and consistent layout. Few copies with early bindings remain available to collectors or institutions.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Assertionum Martini Lutheri confutatio : iuxta verum ac originalem archetypum, diligentissime recognita & vitiis omnibus expurgata
• Author(s): John Fisher
• Publisher: Apud sanctam Ubiorum Agrippinam, Hittorpius
• Edition: First Edition, 1525
• Format: Sextodecimo, single volume
• Binding: Hardcover, bound in 15th-century handwritten manuscript vellum
• Size:  6.25in x 4.75in (15.5cm x 12cm)
• Collation: [24], 364 leaves
  • Wanting p. 82
• Contents Include:
  • Latin response to Lutheran theses
  • Formal argumentation in scholastic format
  • Full printed text as issued in 1525
• Reference(s): USTC 613566

Condition:

Very Good. Covered in 15th-century manuscript vellum over boards. Mild wear at top front edge, some staining to binding and spine. Binding tight and secure. Leaves show light toning, occasional foxing, with scattered marginalia.

Why Collect This?

• British response to early Lutheran ideas
• First edition printed in 1525
• Bound using earlier manuscript parchment
• Authored by a Catholic bishop later executed for his stance
• Printed in Cologne during the peak of religious debates

Item Number: # 28805