Vitae Patrum – Hieronymus – 1478 | Folio Incunable Printed by Koberger

Vitae sanctorum patrum, sive Vitas patrum, attributed in tradition to Hieronymus, is one of the earliest Latin compilations of Christian ascetic biography. Printed in 1478 by Anton Koberger, this folio is one of the most significant and desirable productions from any incunable press. Vitae Patrum, as it is more commonly known, is a collection of biographical sketches of monastic figures and church fathers from the 4^th– and 5^th-century Egypt, Syria, and Palestine (known as the Desert Fathers and Mothers), including St. Anthony the Great, St. Pachomius, and St. Paul the Hermit.

This massive edition, both in scale and importance, contains the De laude et effectu viritutum, of Adalgerus along epistolary work attributed to Pseudo-Macarius.

Koberger printings are some of the most desirable of all 15^th-century printings. Best remembered for publishing the Nuremburg Chronicle, Koberger and his designs helped set the design standards, and this 1478 edition is the premier incunable printing of early Koberger.

Bibliographic Details

• Work Title: Vitae sanctorum patrum, sive Vitas patrum…De laude et effectu virtutum
• Incipit: [De occasione stili hoc ī op̲e ob[ser]uati quisq[uam] legētiū aut audiētiū offēdiclʼm patiat̄]
• Author(s): Saint Jerome [attrib.]
• Illustrator(s):
• Contributor(s): Adalgerus (Attributed); Pseudo-Macarius (Attributed)
• Publisher: Nuremberg, Anton Koberger
• Edition: First Koberger Edition, 1478
• Format: Folio (single volume)
• Binding: Full leather
• Size: 13 in x 9.5 in ( 33 cm x 24 cm)
• Collation: [7], ccxxxviij,
  • Leaf cxxvii printed with first column only, ending the first book; leaf cxxviij begins with register to the second book
  • Wanting initial and last blanks – textually complete, lacking no leaves of text
• Illustrations:
• Contents Include:
  • Vitae Patrum, including lives of St. Anthony, St. Paul, St. Pachomius, St. Basil
  • De laude et effectu virtutum
  • Epistola ad monachos (Pseudo-Macarius)
• Provenance:
  • Bookplate – Ampleforth Abbey Library
  • Stamp – S. Laurentii Bibliotheca Monasterii
• Reference(s): Proctor 1985; Hain 8595; USTC ih00199000; Goff H199; GW M50876

Condition:

Good. Full leather binding shows expected wear along edges with some leather loss; professionally reinforced for strength. Text block is complete, with firm hinges and secure gatherings. Final colophon leaf intact and legible.

Why Collect This?

• 1478 Koberger incunable
• Complete folio format with final colophon
• Significant Nuremberg press imprint
• Pertinent for collectors of Christian monastic literature and incunabula

Item Number: # 29324