1561 Dell'Ufflicio del Marito (Of the Office of Marriage) and Istitutione della Femina Christiana (the Christian Female) by Juan Luis Vives.

Two of Juan Luis Vives influential works, in one printing; the first, a treatise on the subject of marriage, Dell'Ufficio Del Marito and the second, a treatise on the duties of Christian women, Dell'istitutione della Femina Christiana. Vives advocated for loving relationships, traditional family roles and the respect of the biblical principles.

"'If you love your wife, you will lead a most happy life. If you don't love her, you will lead a life of sheer misery... Love is the most powerful drug for being loved in returned.' For Vives, love and friendship were crucial in a successful marriage." - Magda Teter, Wesleyan University.

Juan Luis Vives was a Spanish scholar whose writings on emotions, memory and learning, and their effect on health, have earned him the title of a "father" of both psychology and education.

While his Christian views are looked down on now (in some circles, in others he's greatly regarded, acting as a bell-weather of the institution declaring his values), during his time he was considered amongst the brightest and hired to coach nobility; he was brought as a Chancellor to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, but resisted the divorce, siding with Catherine.

His work on Christian womanhood was immensely popular, used in the training of royal women. He advocated for the rights of women (friendship in marriage, education etc.), but also advocated for traditional values (purity, traditional marriage roles, etc.).

Following his work on Christian womanhood, he printed a work on the office of marriage. Again, he proposed a respectful and pleasant partnership, with clear male and female roles.

This present work is a printing of both works.

Vives work achieved great fruit. His considerations of how the emotional and physical environment influenced health increased the efficacy of psychology. In addition, he encouraged providing assistance to those in need, instigating welfare systems in Europe.

I think this would be a wonderful gift for a marriage, or etc., for a couple that respects traditional Christian marriage values.

Provenance -

The ticket of bookseller Michelangelo Fumanelli is found on the pastedown. He was a 19th century bookseller in Verona.

Bibliographic Details -

Universal Short Title Catalogue (USTC) number 863752, 33 copies recorded in the world's libraries.

The Getty holds a copy, referenced as 1375-581

Worldcat OCLC catalogue number 416103087

Physical Attributes -

Measures approx. 15 x 10 x 3 cm. Vellum wrapper, title on spine in an "old hand". Decorative title page. Some inhabited printed initials.

Pages - 171 [1]

Collation - A-X8, Y4. Collates complete.

Condition -

See pictures. Very well-worn vellum wrapper with a little cockling, some handwriting, edge and corner wear, some starts along the joint, a tear on the back board, etc. The title has been applied, in manuscript, to the spine twice (in an old hand). Pastedown has been lifted at the top, presumably to check the vellum for ancient manuscripts. 19th century book sellers ticket on pastedown. Quite a bit of scribbling, in an old hand on flyleaf. Spilled ink stain on title page, ghosting facing pages. Pages toned throughout. Occasional fox spots, thumbing, dog-eared pages, candle ember mark, page edge chip, etc, throughout. Occasional moisture mark from edges. No rear endpaper.