TRITHEMIUS, Johannes (1462–1516). De triplici regione claustralium et spirituali exercitio monachorum. – Compendium quotidiani spiritualis exercitii. Mainz: Peter von Friedberg, 6 August 1498.

First and only incunable edition, bound at the Benedictine monastery at Ammensleben. The polymath Benedictine monk Trithemius wrote De triplici regione claustralium as a guide for novice monks—detailing meditations, daily routines and other spiritual practices to facilitate their integration into monastic life. Appended to the work is his Compendium quotidiani spiritualis exercitii, a similarly instructional text compiling short prayers. Fittingly, the present copy was first owned by a Benedictine house. In the present copy, one monk has written a prayer that he may observe a monastic life without falling prey to the devil’s temptations: “Jesus Maria Joseph Benedictig scholastica, adsint mihi, in Vita monastica ne diabolg in vitia, sua me trahat versutia. Amen. Hoc est fiat mihi & tibi.” HC 15618*; BSB-Ink T-463; Bod-inc T-251; BMC I 49; CIBN T-329; GW M47570; Goff T-456; ISTC it00456000.

Chancery quarto (195 × 140mm). 98 leaves (points as in GW M47570 Amn.1). Six-line title in red, red initials and rubricated throughout (stain in margin of c6, soiling, dampstains mostly in final quires, few small marginal tears). Contemporary German half-calf over vellum on wood boards, bound at the Benedictine monastery at Ammensleben [EBDB w002315], tooled in blind with a stamp that reads “am[m]e[n]sleue”, lions, flowers, a celestial crown and a fleur-de-lys [s001005, s002871, s004455, s015340, s015341, s015343, s031597] within double-filleted panels, fore-edge clasp, recycled manuscript pastedowns, red leather index tabs (vellum remaining only on part of upper board, some loss to calf on upper board from abrasion and worming, cracks at spine, rubbed); modern cloth slipcase. Provenance: Benedictine Monastery at Ammensleben (binding; 17th-century inscriptions on title-page and flyleaves) – Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin ("Preußische Staatsbibliothek, Berlin" accession and deaccession stamps) – [Phyllis Goodhart Gordan (1913–1994); by descent.]