AA.VV. - Giurisprudenza - 1662-1674

The Book of Jurists of the Holy Roman Empire - A Large Collection of Legal Works
This extraordinary miscellaneous volume gathers 12 fundamental texts of German legal and political science from 1662 to 1674, mainly printed in Helmstedt and Jena, complemented by a rare academic pamphlet from Leipzig by Abraham Christoph Platz. The collection includes organic works—such as those by Hermann Conring, Jacob Lampadius, and Johann Strauch—and a series of extremely rare university disputations, originally intended for academic ceremonies and now surviving in very few copies. The volume testifies to the vitality of Baroque German legal culture and offers a unique compendium that combines high political-legal theory, academic manuals, and didactic practice.
Market value
A miscellaneous legal collection of this richness, with texts by Conring and Lampadius, numerous disputationes, and a rare Lipsian treatise by Platz, is of exceptional bibliographic interest. Similar copies, in contemporary binding and well preserved, are valued between 3,000 and 5,000 euros on the antiquarian market. The rarity of the disputationes, often preserved in unique copies in libraries, further increases their collectible value.

Physical description and condition
Contemporary binding in rigid parchment, handwritten title on the spine. Collection of over twelve standalone title pages, printed in Helmstedt and Jena between 1662 and 1674. Title pages sometimes in red and black, generally fresh pages with some marginal stains. Pages 24; 184; 2; 254; 38; 372; 116; 192; 206; 458; 80; 312; 324.

Full title and author
On the Roman-Germanic Republic, Helmstedt, Henning Müller, 1671, Jacob Lampadius.
De Civili Prudentia, Helmstedt, Henningi Mulleri, 1662, Hermann Conring.
Propolitica, Helmstedt, Henningi Mulleri, 1663, Hermann Conring.
Academic dissertations, Jena, Johannes Wertheri, Johann Strauch.
The Entire Private Justinian Law. Theoretical and Practical Dissertations. Jena, Johannis Nisi, 1666.
Tractatus de Juribus Templorum, Jena, Samuelis Adolph Mülleri, 1674, Heinrich Binden.
Inaugural Disputation on Science, Jena, by Johannis Wertheri, 1674, Christian Döbss.
Legal Disputation of the Kingdom of Arles, Jena, Müllerianis, 1674, Johann Strauch.
At the moment of the appeal instance, Jena, 1672, Andreas Mauritius.
Advocati Togati, Jena, Johannis Wertheri, Adrian Beier.
Legal Disputation on the Right of Nullity in consensual contracts, Jena, in the writings of Johannis Jacobi Bauhofferi, 1666, Adrian Beier.
On the paternal subsidy, presided over by Heinrich Binden, Jena, with Müllerianis letters, 1673, Johan Martin Lütssler.
Discourse on the Nature and Use of Titles, which Are Given to Persons. Leipzig, printed by the widow Joh. Wittigau, Abraham Christoph Platz.

Context and Significance
The volume exemplarily reflects the legal science of the 17th century in the Empire. Conring, a professor at Helmstedt, introduced a historical and political approach to law that would shape the subsequent development of the science of the state. Lampadius, with his De Republica Romano-Germanica, offered a constitutional reading of the Empire, enriched by notes from Conringius. Strauch and Beier represent the didactic and manualistic dimension, providing study tools on Roman law and its applications. Platz's booklet focuses on the use and meaning of titles attributed to people, a theme that unites law, social practice, and moral philosophy, revealing the close connection between legal science and codes of conduct in Baroque culture. The inaugural disputations, many of which are extremely rare, showcase the academic life of the time, where topics such as contractual nullity, lawyers' rights, the right of appeal, and even the history of the Kingdom of Arles were publicly discussed at the university. The pairing of general theory texts and specific disputations makes this miscellany an extraordinary document of Baroque legal culture.

Brief biography of the authors
Hermann Conring (1606-1681), a professor at Helmstedt, was among the founders of the historical science of law.
Jacob Lampadius (1569-1625), jurist in Jena, author of the fundamental De Republica Romano-Germanica.
Johann Strauch (1615-1679), a Saxon jurist, and professor at Jena, known for his manuals and his disputations.
Adrian Beier (1634-1706), a Saxon jurist, author of numerous legal disputes.
Heinrich Binden (1620-1680), professor of canon and civil law in Jena.
Johann Brunnenmann (1608-1672), jurist and professor of public law.
Abraham Christoph Platz (1636-1690), a jurist and philosopher active in Leipzig, bachelor in philosophy, author of disputations and academic treatises focused on theoretical and practical aspects of law and ceremonial.

Printing history and circulation
All works were printed in limited editions for a restricted academic audience. The inaugural disputationes, in particular, were published in only a few dozen copies and intended for the public discussion of the candidate. That is why they are now extremely rare and often survive only in a few library copies. Even Platz's pamphlet is considered highly rare, with limited circulation and intended for university circles. Its preservation in a single miscellaneous volume enhances its importance, offering a comprehensive picture of the academic production of those years.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Conring, Hermann, On the Origin of German Law, Helmstedt, 1643.
Stolleis, Michael, History of Public Law in Germany, Munich, 1988-2012.
VD17 (Catalog of prints published in the German-speaking region in the 17th century).
OCLC and WorldCat for locating disputations.
Specialized auction catalogs of ancient law: Reiss & Sohn, Zisska, Ketterer, Sotheby’s.