264 Or 1814, When Napoleon's Empire Had Virtually Ceased to Exist
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264 or 1814, when Napoleon's Empire had virtually ceased to exist. Finally, an observation regarding the last edition, that of 1829, described in Quaerendo III sub V. I stated there that this was probably the rarest edition. In view of these new discoveries, however, this does not seem quite so likely. It is still true that this edition-despite the fact that a number of older libraries possess copies-is seldom offered for sale by the trade. It is also remarkable that, as I have discovered during many years' experience, the original edition is the least rare. Even copies in the four loose binders, with the original covers, continue occasionally to turn up on the market. W. J. A. ARNTZ Book reviews F. O. B ÜTTNER,Miniaturen aus dem spdten Mittelalter. Handschriften der Bibliothèqueroyale Brüssel, Dassel, Büttenpapierfabrik Hahnemühle, f°, 1973, 95 pp., illus. In a beautifully produced private edition for bibliophiles, the art historian F. 0. Buttner discusses twelve miniatures from manuscripts in the Royal Library in Brussels. Apart from the Calvary from a thirteenth-century psalter (MS. 9961-2) and the late four- teenth-century scenes from the life of the Roman philosopher Seneca (MS. 9091), the miniatures discussed all come from fifteenth-century French and Flemish book illumi- nations. Most of these carefully selected miniatures are in codices written for or be- longing to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, and his court. The following miniatures are discussed in detail: i ) Philip the Good, surrounded by courtiers, having a book read to him (Aegidius Romanus, De regimine principum, in the French version; MS. 9043, fo.2r.); 2) The Calvary with scenes from the Old Testament (Peterborough psalter; MS. 9961-2, fo.56v.); 3) King David playing the carillon (Peterborough psalter; MS. 9961-2, 4) Scenes from the life of Seneca (Seneca, Epistolae ad Lucilium; MS. 9091, fo.ir.); 5) The Flight into Egypt (Tr6s Belles Heures for John, Duke of Berry; MS. iio6o-i, p. io6); 6) Christine de Pisan in her working-room (Christine de Pisan, Le livre de la mutacion de fortune; MS. 9508, fo.2r.); 7) The adventures of the hero Jason (Jean Mansel, La fleur des histoires; MS. 923 1, fo.I09v.); 8) Scenes from the life of King Philip II of France (Jean Mansel, La fleur des histoires; MS. 9232, fO.375r.); 9) Fortuna and Virtus (Martin Le Franc, L'estrif de Fortune et de Vertu; MS. 95IO, fo.ir.); io) The island of Sicily (Leonardo Bruni, De primo bellicopunico; MS. 10777, fo.34r.); i i) Christ appearing to St. Augustine in a vision (Augustine, Liber soliquiorumanimae; MS. 9297- 302, fo.sr.); and 12) The Annunciation and Philip the Good at prayer (Traité sur la saluta- tion angélique;MS. 9270, fo.2r.). Although it is not possible here to mention every piece of information to be found in these detailed descriptions, it is worth drawing attention to the fact that the author makes some interesting observations regarding these in the main uncommonly richly decorated pictures, while in his commentary he gives special emphasis to the iconographic meaning of each individual miniature. The book con- 265 cludes with an abbreviated list of works quoted, a selective bibliography, a register of the manuscripts and a name index. The value of this interesting work is enhanced by these carefully compiled indexes, and, finally, by the fact that all the notes are placed together at the end of the book. GEORGESDOGAER Leiden imprints 1483-1600 in Leiden University Library and BibliothecaThysiana. A short-title catalogue [compiled by Ronald Breugelmans]. Nieuwkoop, De Graaf, 1974, 8°, 127 pp., ISBN 9060043413, Hfl60,- (= BibliothecaBibliographica Neerlandica 5). The short-title description of old printed works is very much in vogue at present, and the role played by the English STCs cannot be underestimated. This catalogue of Lei- den editions from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in the UL and Bibliotheca Thy- siana in Leiden is modelled on the Dutch STC of the British Museum. The few points on which the new STC departs from its BM counterpart's system are indicated in the foreword (principally points 4, S and 7); apart from the abbreviations, the use of capi- tals and the way in which the imprint is given, it seems to me that it would have been better to deviate from the BM on one other point-without detracting from the des- cription proper-namely by adopting a continuous numbering system for all editions described. This would have greatly facilitated both referencing and looking up. This unpretentious Leiden STC lists some 1100 items (calculated on the basis of an average of 10 per page). Certainly a not inconsiderable number. It is perhaps a pity that the foreword fails to inform one of the quantitative importance of these two collections in the context of existing or known Leiden imprints from the i483-i6oo period. Nei- ther do we read anything of any agreement with the STC Nederland. Publications such as this Leiden STC might, after all, have a dual aim: first, to make accessible a library's collection in a certain field; second, to contribute to such national under- takings as the STCN, while ensuring that work does not have to be duplicated because the rules followed are not the same. These objections do not, of course, detract in any way from the fact that the present publication has been compiled with care and that we are so much the richer by an important source of information. That typography has had to give way to type-writing is regrettable but understandable; it has had but little effect on the legibility. ELLYCOCKX-INDESTEGE JOHN LANDWEHR,Emblem Books in the Low Countries, 1554-1949. A Bibliography.Utrecht, Haentjens Dekker & Gumbert, [1970], 4°, xlvii pp. with pl., 150 pp., Hfl 81,10 (= Bibliotheca emblematica 3), and: id., German Emblem Books, 1531-1888. A Bibliography. Utrecht, Haentjes Dekker & Gumbert/Leyden, A. W. Sijthoff, [1972], 4°, VIII, 184 pp., illus., Hfl 101,90 (= Bibliothecaemblematica 5). The reviewing of bibliographies is seldom an enviable task. In almost every case the compiler of the bibliography is more at home in the subject than anyone else, while the qualities of the work (or the lack of them) become evident only after it has been used for some time. It is for this reason that I exercise some caution in daring to criti- cize John Landwehr's two books describing the emblem books of the Low Countries and Germany. My criticism will be confined largely to EmblemBooks of theLow Countries. It is aimed, inter alia,at Landwehr's bibliographical method, especially where it concerns .