Libro de Jesus Hiio de Syrach, qu'es llamado, el Ecclesiastico: traduzido de Griego en lengua Castellana

En Leon [i.e. Strassburg]: en Casa de Sebastian Grypho [i.e. Augustin Fries], 1550. BIBLE IN SPANISH; ENZINAS, Francisco de. First Edition in Spanish of Ecclesiasticus

[BIBLE IN SPANISH]. [ENZINAS, Francisco de, translator]. [Ecclesiastics]. Libro de Jesus Hiio de Syrach, qu'es llamado, el Ecclesiastico. traduzido de Griego en lengua Castellana En Leon [i.e. Strassburg]: en Casa de Sebastian Grypho [i.e. Augustin Fries], 1550.

First edition in Spanish of Ecclesiasticus. Small octavo (6 x 3 5/8 inches; 151 x 91 mm). [3], 109 leaves. With numerous woodcut initials. With an imitation Gryphius woodcut device printed in reverse on title. We could only locate 3 copies at libraries, Cambridge, Madrid and Copenhagen. No other copy besides this present copy has been at auction in the past 50 years.

Early 19th-century mottled sheep. Boards tooled in gilt. Spine stamped in gilt. With red morocco spine label, lettered in gilt. Board edges tooled in gilt. Marbled endpapers. Some minor dampstaining, mainly to lower blank margin of preliminaries. Signature G is toned. Leaves O3 and O4 with marginal paper repair, not affecting text. Final leaf is toned and has a near invisible paper repair, not affecting text. Overall a very good copy.

"A native of Burgos educated at Louvain and Wittenberg, Francisco de Enzinas (1518-52) was a humanist scholar and Protestant convert who produced the first Spanish version of the New Testament, printed in 1543 in Antwerp. He formed a partnership with the Strassburg printer Augustin Fries to publish Spanish translations of Greek classics and the remainder of the Bible, of which he was only able to complete Psalms, Ecclesiasticus, Job, and Proverbs before his death. Baudrier VIII, 241 (not having seen or located a copy, citing Brunet supplement II, 712)"

"Even before the complete edition of Castellio's Latin Bible appeared Enzinas, who had already produced a Spanish Bible [New Testament] in Antewerp (in 1543), had translated the Psalter, the Wisdom of Solomon, Jesus Sirach [present copy], and the book of Job into Spanish. All of these appeared with the false address 'En Leon, en casa de Sebastian Grypho', though they were in fact his translations from manuscript versions of Castellio's edition. Enzinas continued to work on his translations until his death on 30 December 1552. He had planned to have his Spanish Bible printed in Geneva, but this (fortunately for Calvin) never came to pass." (Gilly, Spanien und der Basler Buchdruck, pp. 342-9, 510-11.) Found in (Sebastian Castellio, 1515-1563: Humanist and Defender of Religious ...By Hans R. Guggisberg, Bruce Gordon).

"FRIES, Augustine: printer in Zurich and Strasburg began to print at the former place about 1540. In 1547 he printed two books in English by John Hooper [Heitz p. 39]. Soon after this he moved to Strasburg and there printed among other things several works in Spanish by Franzisco de Enzinas in 1550 and 1551 [Wiffen I pp 179 etc.]" (A Century of the English Book Trade: Short Notices of All Printers... By Edward Gordon Duff).

HBS 67900.

$8,500.