Thesaurus artificiosae memoriae, concionatoribus, philosophis, medicis, juristis, oratoribus, procuratoribus, caeterisq[ue] bonarum litterarum amatoribus...

Venice: Antonio Padovani,, 1579. A beautifully preserved copy in contemporary vellum First and only edition of a classic work on mnemonics and cryptography by the Dominican Cosimo Rosselli, one of the "leading names amongst writers on memory" (Yates, p. 115). An influential contribution to the Ars memorativa genre, its many illustrative woodcuts include the earliest known representation of sign language in print. This copy is well preserved in a contemporary vellum binding. Frances Yates writes that the Dominican tradition, originating from the scholastic emphasis on memory, is the most important in the history of the art of memory. "The Dominicans were naturally at the centre of this tradition, and in Johannes Romberch, a German, and Cosmas Rosselius, a Florentine, we have two Dominicans who wrote books on memory, small in format but packed with detail, apparently intended to make the Dominican art of memory generally known" (p. 114). Rosselli's guide to memory techniques was published posthumously by his brother, Damiano Rosselli. In it "the Dantesque type is given great prominence. Rossellius divides Hell into eleven places, as illustrated in his diagram of Hell as a memory place system... Rossellius also envisages the constellations as memory place systems, of course mentioning Metrodorus of Scepsis in connection with the zodiacal place system. A feature of Rossellius' book are the mnemonic verses given to help memorise orders of places, whether orders of places in Hell, or the order of the signs of the zodiac. These verses are by a fellow Dominican who is also an Inquisitor. These 'carmina' by an Inquisitor give an impressive air of great orthodoxy to the artificial memory. Rossellius describes the making of 'real' places in abbeys, churches and the like. And discusses human images as places on which subsidiary images are to be remembered" (Yates, p. 122). In addition to comparative tables of the Hebrew, Chaldaic, Persian, and visual Arabic alphabets, the Thesaurus also features the first finger alphabet to appear in a book (see Volkmann, Ars memorativa, p. 170). "Rosselli gives instructions on how to position the fingers in order to make the individual letters... The finger alphabet has obvious advantages, such as allowing one to construct a list of persons, things, or ideas to be remembered by actually making and repeating the letters on the hand in a familiar order. Once learned this system is a readily available reminder valuable in preaching sermons and allied activities... [Rosselli's finger alphabet] not only continues the mnemonic tradition but also suggests further development of the fingers and the hand as an instrument of visual communication, allied with, but effective as a substitute for oral and written language" (Sherman, p. 52). Quarto (228 x 160 mm). With errata leaf (Nn6). Text printed in large italic type, with chapter headings in large roman type. Large woodcut printer's device on title page, head- and tailpieces, floriated initials. 3 woodcut plates, one of which folding (signed E4 to indicate where bound), numerous full-page woodcut illustrations and tables in text. Contemporary limp vellum, manuscript title and number to spine in ink. Vellum presenting well, evidence of ties sometime removed, some light browning and a few marks; a crisp, clean copy. Adams R803; Brunet IV, 1402; Durling 3947; Edit16 CNCE 27839; STC 588; Wellcome I, 5572; Young, p. 307. Claire Richter Sherman, Writing on Hands: Memory and Knowledge in Early Modern Europe, 2000; Ludwig Volkmann, Ars memorativa, 1929; Frances A. Yates, The Art of Memory, 1966.