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ARS MEMORIAE VINDICATA: ACCESSIT ARTIFICIUM POETICUM AD SCRIPTURAS DIVINAS IN PROMPTU HABENDAS.
(Panormi [Palermo]: Joseph Gramignami, 1702). 140 x 70 mm. (5 1/2 x 3"). 24 p.l., 225, [115] pp. FIRST EDITION.
Contemporary stiff vellum, smooth spine with gilt lettering. Added engraved allegorical title page, printer's device on printed title page, wood-engraved head- and tailpieces. Final [114] pages printed vertically. Verso of title page with red ink "Duplicate" stamp of the library of Bernard Zufall. ◆Vellum lightly smudged and with slight crease at one corner, short, thin stain to text of two facing leaves, text versos with small inner margins, bottom edges of charts trimmed very close (sometimes just grazing text, but without costing any complete letters), isolated minor foxing and other trivial defects, but a generally clean and pleasing copy, without any fatal condition issue.
This 18th century work on the art of memory comes from the library assembled by a magician known as the "Human Encyclopedia." Bernard Zufall (1894-1971) amassed what was considered to be the largest collection devoted to mnemonics, with more than 1,000 titles; he bequeathed all but a few duplicates (of which this is one) to Yale University. Giovanni Brancaccio (1673 - after 1738) was an attorney in Sicily who also took an interest in literature and medicine, and who had a special curiosity about memory. In this work, he cites feats of memory by historical figures, before presenting tips for memorizing Holy Scripture. This is a book rarely seen in the marketplace, and OCLC finds just eight copies in libraries, three of these in North America. (ST19478a)
Price: $950.00