#31 Bishops Binding

Normally, you can’t judge a book by its cover, for this set of items, that’s just what we did! We picked out some of the most visually striking items in our collection, and started with a bit of bling.

1. This book is Tractatum Theologicorum ad Primam Partem Divi Thomae. It’s an examination of the works of St Thomas Aquinas.

2. The author was the Dominican friar Pedro de Magalhães (1594-1675), counsellor to the Portuguese king and Inquisition.

3. The book is 300 by 200mm in size. The cover is red leather with lavish gold embossing, and the pages are gilt edged.

4. It was printed by João Costa, sr in Lisbon in 1659.

5. The book once belonged to a Roman Catholic Archbishop. The hat on the front is a galero, and the 9 tassels on each side tell us the owner was an archbishop.

6. The note ‘cum facultate superiorum’ indicates that the book had been properly licenced and authorised. This was important as the Inquisition (properly the General Council of the Holy Office of the Inquisition) had been active in Portugal since the previous century.

7. The book deals with Thomas Aquinas’ thoughts on the will, predestination and the Holy Trinity.

8. Aquinas was the greatest intellectual figure of 13th century Europe in both philosophy and theology, epitomising the scholastic method of the newly founded universities.

9. The book is part of the Chandler Collection. Henry William Chandler was a 19th century academic who collected books obsessively. He was particularly interested in the works of Aristotle, which is why we have so many.

10. During the Vacations, Chandler travelled Europe, visiting book fairs and book shops everywhere. He was scrupulously honest and revered books, so it seems likely he bought this item with the hole already cut in the title page! It probably bore the name of a previous owner.