1659 Alle de Wercken van de Heer Jacob Cats. Savry, Dordrecht

A unique edition, with many illustrations, of Jacob Cats' Alle de Wercken; in 1655 publisher Schipper produced the folio first edition, but here, in 1659, Savry produces a quarto reproduction, that emulates but doesn't recreate the 1st edition. The illustrations are re-engravings, and not executed to the same skill-level. This edition was surely intended to be more affordable and attainable to the general public. As such, fewer copies (than the folio) seem to have survived as I find far fewer records in the library catalogues.

Oddly, this copy still received a beautiful binding, which has seen much wear/repair through the years; but, one can still make out the central stamp of cupid shooting a seated woman while a shepherd stares at her nearby. Adding to the pastoral scene, the border surrounding the central stamp includes hunting dogs, rabbits, flowers, boars, stags, and hunters blowing their horns. Although rubbed out, one can still make out the first name "JOANNA" tooled at the top of the front board, and "G.A." (possibly deserving of further research).

About Jacob Cats -

"Cats was contemporary with Hooft and Vondel and other distinguished Dutch writers in the golden age of Dutch literature, but his Orangist and Calvinistic opinions separated him from the liberal school of Amsterdam poets. He was, however, intimate with Constantijn Huygens, whose political opinions were more nearly in agreement with his own. Although hardly known outside of Holland, among his own people for nearly two centuries he enjoyed an enormous popularity – the complete collection of his poems is said to have sold around 50,000 copies, and was reputedly the only book, other than the Bible, to be found in many Dutch homes.Cats' moralistic poems were told and retold like nursery rhymes over several generations. Even today many of his coined phrases are still colloquialisms in everyday Dutch." - Wikipedia

Bibliographic Details -

Universal Short Title Catalogue (USTC) does not record this edition.

I find a handful of OCLC Worldcat catalogue entries; 1015486751, 78804165, 181669515, among others.

Physical Attributes -

Measures approx. 26.5 x 21 x 8.5 cm. Leather binding. Boards with a central pastoral scene of cupid shooting a woman in front of a shepherd, surrounded by a frame with a central roll of rabbits, dogs, boards, hunters, stags, and flowers. Respined with four raised bands. Illustrated throughout.

Pages - xvi, 120, xx, 32, iv, 15, [7], iii, 202, xii, 36, viii, 175, (1 blank), viii, 289, [6], viii, 76, iv, 32, ii, 26, ii, 26, ii, 10, iv, 70, ii

Collation - *-**4, A-P4, A-K4, A-Z4, Aa-Hh4, Ii2, A-Z4, A-Z4, Aa-Qq4, A-Z4, Aa-Mm4

Collated complete, all pages present.

Condition -

Binding well-worn, with older re-spine. Some tissue repairs to keep the leather tight upon the boards. Edges/corners very worn. Lots of rubbing and loss of gilt. Name has been rubbed off of front. Spine sunned. Oak board visible where leather is rubbed away. Front pastedown with some lifting and damage; probably someone looking for binder’s waste manuscripts. Flyleaf cutout at gutter.

Frontis a little short along fore-edge. Toning and thumbing throughout text block. Occasional rust spots, moisture mark, dog-eared pages, page-edge chip, stray ink mark, moisture mark from edge, etc. Frontis and title page have a small ex-libris stamp. Title page with some damage along fore-edge due to being proud because mostly loose at gutter. Repair at top margin of *2. Graphite mark b4r. Repair at P1 bottom gutter. 3rd C4 with 3” tear from fore-edge. 3rd D1 with rubbed out inscription that lightly damaged paper. Corner chip to 4th D4. Pasted on inscription at end of work, leaf Mm3 verso.