Epistolarum, Tomus primus, continens scripta viri Dei, ab anno millesimo quingentesimo septimo, usque ad annum vicesimum secundum. - [FIRST PRINTING OF LUTHER'S LETTERS]

Ihenae (Jena), Rhodius (Rödinger), 1556. 4to. In contemporary blindstamped pigskin over wooden boards with three raised bands and two clasps. Wear and soiling to extremities. Pigskin partly detached to upper part of boards. Previous two owner's names in contemporary hand to title-page. A few occassional underlignings and marginal annotations in contemporary hand throughout. Small worm-tract affecting last 20 leaves, internally generally fine. (10), 367 pp.

-
Rare first printing of Martin Luther's early letters from 1507 to 1522, spanning the years from the celebration of his first Mass to his removal to Wartburg Castle after the Diet of Worms. Among them is a notable letter Cardinal Albrecht, Archbishop of Magdeberg and Mainz accompanying a copy of the 95 Theses, composed on the very day (October 31st, 1517) when Luther affixed the Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg and Luther's first letter to Erasmus, penned on March 28th, 1519. These letters provide a most interesting perspective into Martin Luther's personal and public reflections on crucial aspects of the early days of the Reformation. The collection encompasses correspondence with figures such as Emperor Charles V, Pope Leo X, King Henry VIII, Georg Spalatin, Philip Melanchthon, Frederick, Elector of Saxony, Andreas Karlstadt, Cardinal Tommaso de Vio Cajetan and many others. The present work was edited by Joannes Aurifaber (1519-1575), Luther’s private secretary, who lived with Luther at the time of his death: “Joannes (Vinariensis 1519–1575), was born in the county of Mansfeldt in 1519. He studied at Wittenberg where he heard the lectures of Luther, and afterwards became tutor to Count Mansfeldt. In the war of 1544–45 he accompanied the army as field-preacher, and then lived with Luther as his famulus or private secretary, being present at his death in 1546. In the following year he spent six months in prison with John Frederick, elector of Saxony, who had been captured by the emperor, Charles V. He held for some years the office of court-preacher at Weimar, but owing to theological disputes was compelled to resign this office in 1561. In 1566 he was appointed to the Lutheran church at Erfurt, and there remained till his death in November 1575. Besides taking a share in the first collected or Jena edition of Luther’s works (1556), Aurifaber sought out and published at Eisleben in 1564–1565 several writings not included in that edition. He also published Luther’s Letters (1556, 1565), and Table Talk (1566). This popular work, which has given him most of his fame, is unfortunately but a second or third hand compilation.” (Encyclopedia Britannica). A second volume was published as “Secundus tomus epistolarum” in 1565. Adams L1805 BM STC German, 1455-1600, p. 535