Moriae Encomium: or A Panegyrick upon Folly

ERASMUS, Desiderius, London: Printed, and Sold by J. Woodward, 1709. Collated complete. [24], xvi, viii, [12], 171 pages. 8vo. 20.5cm x 13cm x 2.5cm. Contemporary, full paneled calf with blind tooling, label to spine faded, raised bands, boards split but holding. Engraved frontispiece portrait of Erasmus and 46 numbered woodcut engravings. Contains "A Prefatory Epistle from Erasmus to Sir Tho. More," "A Catalogue of the Paintings of Hans Holbein," and other introductory writings.**Also contains a manuscript note bound in detailing the sale of a painting listed in the catalogue of Holbein's paintings dated 1808 (see photo). Text and all plates in fine condition with very minimal, sporadic foxing.

A increasingly rare 1709 English edition of "In Praise of Folly" by Erasmus, and the first English edition to be illustrated with woodcuts designed by Hans Holbein, with woodcut engraved frontispiece and 46 woodcut engravings (many full page). While some other earlier Latin and French copies contained Holbein's woodcuts, some of which were originally based off drawings Holbein made in the margins of the copy owned by Erasmus himself, no other earlier English edition contained Holbein's woodcuts.

One of the most popular and enduring works of Renaissance literature, the book was written when Erasmus was staying in the house of Sir Thomas More in the winter of 1509-10, its Latin/original title (Moriae Encomium) being a play on the name of his host. The book itself is a satire on the many varieties of life's follies. Although complimentary of Folly in early passages, Erasmus later turns a satirical lens on superstitions and certain types of corruption in the Roman Catholic Church, of which he was an ardent member throughout his life. As a result, the book had a prominent, if not planned or desired, influence in the Protestant Reformation.

Originally published in Latin in 1511, the first English edition was published in 1549, with several other English editions issued in the 17th century. See Lowndes, 749. Pforzheimer 359; STC E10500.