F.Muller Antiquarian Rare Books, Maps & Prints

Part I : Acostas Historia das Missions da Oriente ... translated in Latin by Maffei. Part II (from lf 46 onwards) : the 40 most important Jesuit letters from Japan (between 1548 and 1564). Includes the first Jesuit letter from Japan ever (Paulo Japao, 3/12/1548) in Latin. Part III (from folio 200 onwards) : update with Jesuit letters from the Indies from 1568, 1569 and 1580. Second edition (first, Dillingen 1571) of the first history of the Jesuits involvement in Asia. The third part, the Rebus Indicis, are letters of 1568-1570. They are published here for the first time (Streit). Japan letters from Paulus Japonicus ; Franciscus Xaverius ; Cosmus Turrianus ; Gaspar Vilela ; Aloisius Frois and others (see Cordier col. 54, 55, 56, 57 and 58). For the letters between 1568 and 1570 see Streit IV, nr 956.

First edition in German of this, the most famous biography of Saint Ignatio de Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, by one of the first group of Jesuits. First known version of the "Vita" is May 1569 (manuscript in Spanish in the National Library of Spain), the first printed edition (in Latin) is Naples, 1572; in Spanish 1583; in German 1590 (this edition). De Backer-Sommervogel describes this edition under Jean Albert SJ, the supposed translator from the Latin text. However in the general listing and discussion of the many Vitae of Ignacius, the same authors assign the translation to Theobald Stolz, SJ whose known translation was only published in 1614 (Sommervogel VI. 1728).

First published in Spanish in 1592. This is the first Italian edition. Important essay on Borga, one of the founding fathers of the Jesuits and their early activities, including missionary activities. Discusses among other things their role in Florida, in Mexico and Peru.

A slightly confusing bibliography, probably due to the book's rarity. Compared with all bibliographies cited above this copy is complete and has one additional plate. Editio princeps. This is a rare and important early biography or hagiography of Saint Franciscus Xaverius. San Xavier died in 1552. The Jesuits asked for his canonisation in 1593. The first hagiography was that of the Italian Orazzio Torcellino (1545-1599). This, the Lucena, is the second one, not only providing a full desciption of Xaviers life, but also adding many details on Asia and Japan (Burns Library nr 10, the Italian translation of 1613). Lucena was born in Trancoso (Portugal) in 1550, entered Jesuit training in Coimbra in 1565. He worked as a priest in Portugal and died in 1600.

Johannes Cambilhom was a Jesuit from Steiermark, Germany who left the Order and fought it for the rest of his life. It is no surpise we do not find this text in Sommervogel or other Jesuit bibliographies.

52 missionary letters of San Xavier between 1542 and 1552, the year of his death, translated by Oracio Torcellino, first biographer of San Xavier.

This seems to be two eulogies, sermons to laureate, San Xaverius by an obscure German priest, Georg Pistorius. Apparently these were important enough to be printed in Dillingen, the same place where many of the early Jesuit letters from Japan and elsewhere were printed.

These two sermons are so rare that they do not appear in the best Jesuit bibliography (Sommervogel) or in the bibliography of San Xaverius (Azcona).

Very rare first edition of the life of San Francisco Xavier, founding father of the Jesuit mission in the Far East. Neither Palau nor Cordier had seen this edition and give a Lisbon edition of 1674 as the first edition. There are later editions in Barcelona (1695) and Madrid (1728 and 1731).

Sweeney mentions this book (nr 192) but does not give its full collation. He gives the book an "XR" on the rarity index, that is : "extremely rare, only known by a handful of copies". Our copy to be the complete edition of Sweeney 192.

There is however the highly interesting text "De constancia Hiberniae in religione Romana..." This additional text seems to be taken from another printing in Louvain by the same printer, as the pages carry a different signature and are numbered from 61 onwards. Moreover, it constitutes a complete text on 1200 years of Christian oppression in Ireland,including privileges and censor authorisation. Indeed, Sweeney mentions this text as an annex to another book, printed in Louvain in 1671: Vitae et Miraculorum Santi Patricii Hiberniae (Sweeney 199).

The Kilkenny born Archdekin was a long term Jesuit professor of philosophy and theology at Louvain and Antwerp (Sweeney)

Written in Spanish the "exercitia" were first published in 1615. Latin translations had preceded this Spanish edition (since 1548). The engravings were made by Samuel Dworzak in 1673 and are of fine quality. They appear here for the first time.

E livro raro e estimado (Pinto de Matos). Palau mentions only one booklet by this author: Ferreira Manuel: breve compendio succesos de la Mision del Reyno de Tunquin en los anos 1674 a 1675 (Palau 90236) sin lugar, Folio, 9 hojas.

Christianity came to Indochina at the beginning of the XVI century. The Tonkin mission was founded by Jesuits in 1627. Their severe persecution began in 1680 and lasted for over a 100 years. This work describes the early years of that persecution (after Maggs).

Ferreira (S.J.) was born in Lisbon in 1630 and acted twice as Jesuit missionary in "India". The first time he was sent out to India proper in 1658, where he suffered persecution and imprisonment. His second mission was to Tonquin (An Nam in the text; Vietnam today) in 1694, where again he suffered persecutions. Beside the booklet described by Palau, and this book (without his name), Ferreira wrote an Annamite/ Portuguese dictionary that remained in manuscript (Maggs). Ferreira died in Macao in 1699.

Unrecorded Jesuit text, based on the life and works of Saint Franciscus Xaverius to support and console aller Nothleydenden (all who suffer).

Este coleccion parece tener todos los documentos sobre el tema (expulsion de los Jesuitas) hasta diciembre 1759. Borba Morais no especifica los documentos de la Coleccao y da ademas como fecha de publicacion 1755 (sic!!). Nuestra coleccion esta aparentemente completa en si.

Second and improved edition of the abridgement of the first ten volumes of the Lettres Edifiantes (Jesuit Letters), including three folding maps. One is the father Kino map that shows California not to be an island.

Excellent

Palau gives a different collation, but the book is complete, notwithstanding some faults in the numbering. Collection of laws and orders for the possessions of the Jesuits.

Extensive history of the Jesuits first 300 years.