Opus Septipartitum de Contractibus, Hagenau, 13 October 1500

1500. A Landmark in the History of Economic Theory Summenhart, Konrad [1465-1511]. Septipertitu[m] Opus de Contractibus Pro Foro C[on]scientie Atq[ue] Theologico P[er] Conradu[m] Su[m]menhart de Calwartiu[m] ac Sacre Theologie P[ro]fessorem in Alma Universitate Tubingensi Ordinarie Legentem Co[m]pilatu[m] et per Centum Questiones Digestum ac per Eundem Quo ad Pregnantium Questionum At[que] Difficultatem Habentium Uberiores Articulos Ibidem Disputatum. Haguenau: Heinrich Gran for Johannes Rynman, 13 October 1500. 433 ff. Lacking final leaf, a blank. Collation: AA-BB8, CC6, DD-EE8, a-b8, c-d6, e8, f6, g8, h-i6, k-l8, m6, n-r8, s10, t6, v8, x-z6, aa-bb6, cc4, dd-ff6, gg8, hh-ll6, A-C6, D-H8, I10, K8, L12, M8, N-P6, Q8, R6, S-V8, X-Y6. Text in parallel columns. Folio (11" x 8"; 28 x 20 cm). Eighteenth-century speckled sheep, raised bands, gilt ornaments, lettering piece and small early paper shelf label to spine, speckled edges, endpapers renewed. Light rubbing and some minor nicks and shallow scuffing to boards, moderate rubbing to extremities, corners bumped and somewhat worn, front hinge starting, rear hinge cracked, minor worming to pastedowns. Light to moderate toning, light foxing in places, brief early owner annotation to leaf y3 (fol. 48), short tear to fore-edge of title page, which is lightly soiled, another short tear to fore-edge of following leaf, bookplate of Alexandre P. Rosenberg, designed by Pablo Picasso, and Rosenberg's brief typewritten book description, with Goff number added in pencil, to front pastedown. $20,000. * Second edition. First published in 1497, this landmark treatise on the nature of contracts under Roman law, canon law and Catholic doctrine was the first work to offer a comprehensive and systematic attack on the prohibition of Usury. "Summenhart's contribution was twofold: first, in enormously widening all the possible exceptions to the usury prohibition, i.e. the census and lucrum cessans; and second, in launching a blistering direct assault on all the time-honoured arguments against whatever usury contracts remained. On the first, Summenhart developed the argument for insured or guaranteed partnerships far more subtly and extensively than before. H.