Lot 03

Johannes Cochläus (1479 - 1552) CRITICISM OF HUSSITISM

This is the first edition of the first major treatise on Hussites from the point of view of the Catholic Church. Johannes Cochläus (1479-1552), a Nuremberg humanist and musicologist was a controversial man, one of the staunchest opponents of the Reformation, especially Luther. In his extensive compendium, where historians criticize him for the shortcomings of his primary source of information, he subjects Hussiteism to a serious and comprehensive examination in an attempt to evaluate it and place it in the context of the contemporary view of mainstream Catholicism. His attitude towards the Hussite movement is fundamentally critical and dismissive. Luxury decorative vellum binding in 6 genuine bindings with gilt blindfold spine, gilt label, with blindfold fillets and central ornament on both boards. Circa 1700. Contains 16 leaves, 598 pages. Text including two separate treatises continuously paginated. Decorative woodcut initials of three sizes, vignettes, marginalia. Early inscriptions on title page.