1471 St Augustine Epistolae First Edition Incunable Leaf Johann Mentelin
An exceptionally early original incunable leaf from the first printed edition of the collected Epistolae of St Augustine of Hippo, printed at Strasbourg by the pioneering printer Johann Mentelin not after 1471.
The present leaf contains part of Epistle 186, written jointly by Augustine and Alypius to Paulinus of Nola around AD 417. The text deals with some of the central themes of Augustinian theology: divine grace, faith, merit, justification and free will.
Augustine argues that faith itself cannot properly be understood as an independently earned human achievement, but as something received through divine grace. The passage repeatedly draws upon the Pauline question:
“Quid enim habes quod non accepisti?”
“What do you have that you did not receive?”
These ideas became fundamental to medieval Christian theology and, centuries later, played a major role in the theological debates surrounding the Reformation.
The edition is itself highly important in the history of printing. Johann Mentelin was one of the earliest printers working outside Mainz and established printing at Strasbourg during the first generation following Gutenberg. His edition of Augustine’s letters is recognised as the editio princeps — the first printed edition — of the collected correspondence of St Augustine.
The complete work comprises 264 leaves and was printed in royal folio in two columns of 50 lines, using Mentelin’s characteristic Gothic type. The present leaf measures an impressive 39.1 × 29.1 cm, retaining broad margins and remaining very close to the dimensions recorded for complete copies.
The dense Gothic typography, numerous manuscript-style abbreviations and generous margins give the leaf the unmistakable appearance of printing from the earliest decades of the European printed book.
Good condition overall for an original fifteenth-century incunable leaf more than 550 years old. The principal printed text remains substantially complete and strongly legible on both sides.
There is extensive age-related marginal wear, including creasing, old folds, small tears and edge losses, together with light staining, spotting and handling marks. These defects are predominantly confined to the generous margins and do not materially affect the main text block.
The paper retains a pleasing early laid texture and the printed impression remains strong.
Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.
Author: St Augustine of Hippo / Aurelius Augustinus (354–430)
Work: Epistolae
Text: Epistle 186, Augustine and Alypius to Paulinus of Nola
Subject: Divine grace, faith, merit, justification and free will
Printer: Johann Mentelin
Place: Strasbourg
Date: Not after 1471
Edition: First printed edition of the collected letters of St Augustine
Format: Original single incunable leaf
Sheet Size: 39.1 × 29.1 cm
Language: Latin
Printing: Gothic letterpress, double column, 50 lines to the column
Bibliography: Goff A1267; GW 2905; ISTC ia01267000; BSB-Ink A-887; CIBN A-708
An important and highly evocative original leaf from the first printed edition of St Augustine’s collected correspondence, produced at Strasbourg during the first generation of European movable-type printing.
Location: MAP DRAWER A SLEEVE A100
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