Ulrich Boner - The Precious Stone

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his incredibly lavishly illustrated and coloured incunabulum contains a collection of fables assembled by the Dominican monk Ulrich Boner of Berne. Published in 1461 by Albrecht Pfister in the early days of printing, it is the only copy that has survived to this day. Its secular contents and its luxurious decoration made it one of the first books to address a bourgeois readership. The 176 pages display 86 fables on animals and plants, richly illustrated with 101 woodcuts in glowing colours, in an incredible wealth by incunabula standards. The text was typeset in the script of the 36-line Gutenberg Bible, a type that had hitherto been used only for religious works in Latin. The manuscript is of eminent importance for the development of the art and craft of book printing.

Facsimile edition of the early printed work from 1461, today in the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel. 176 pages in the original format 29 x 20 cm. 101 coloured woodcuts. Dark leather binding. Commentary volume in German by Doris Fouquet. Both volumes in one slipcase. Limited edition: 850 numbered copies world-wide.

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