FIRST EDITION: BOEHMER'S CLASSIC WORK ON CANON LAW, 1747

BOEHMER, Justus Henning. Corpus iuris canonici Gregorii XIII… Post emendationem absolutam editum in duos tomos divisum et appendice novo auctum cum necessariis indicibus. Halae Magdeburgicae [Halle an der Saale, Germany]: Impensis Orphanotrophei (printed by Emanuel Schneider), 1747. Thick quarto, contemporary elaborately blind-tooled alum-tawed pigskin, raised bands, hand-inked spine title. $950.

An important work of ecclesiastical law in a contemporary binding, with attractive illustrations and decorations.

First edition of this massive compendium on the canon law of the Catholic Church, as revised from the 1582 publication of Pope Gregory XIII by eminent German jurist Justus Henning Boehmer (sometimes given as Juste Henning Bo?hmer). Boehmer was a professor at the University of Halle and one of the foremost legal historians of his time, particularly acclaimed for his studies on ecclesiastical law. Artist and natural philosopher Gottfried August Gründler (1710-1775) designed and engraved two plates in Tome I: "Arbor Consanguinitatis" and "Arbor Affinitatis," charts of consanguinity and affinity depicted as trees with fully realized landscape backgrounds. The volume also features a frontispiece with portrait of Pope Benedict XIV and the consistory, an elaborate main title page vignette, a remarkable framed vignette in Tome II, and many decorative head- and tailpieces. Frontispiece reverse with inked owner's name dated 1813; title page with early inked inscription of Johann Daniel Seeger of Stuttgart, law student at Würtemberg, and with additional note "Marburg Cattor. 1747."

Contents with occasional light spotting, generally clean; minor rubbing and soiling to binding. Front free endpaper with upper outer corner torn away. An exceptionally nice copy.