G. Schönborner - Politicorum - 1642

Georgius Schönborner (Georg Schönborner, 1579-1637). Seven books of Politics. 
Signature edition corrected by the author now first published. 
Amsterdam: Printed by Ludovic Elzevir, 1642.

Format: small 12° (14 x 7.8 cm). 
Pages: [74], 542, [32] pp. of index + 1 folding plate. Contemporary binding, with signs of use.

Encyclopedic work on political science in seven books, among the most complete and systematic of the early 17th century. Schönborner (a Silesian jurist, chancellor and imperial adviser) treats the constitution of the state, administration, magistracies, education of citizens, military forces, finances, alliances, war and peace, drawing on classical sources (Aristotle, Cicero, Livy, etc.), patristic and modern (Bodin, etc.). Includes a description of the status and orders of the Holy Roman Empire. The engraved title page and the genealogical/kinship plate (visible in the photos) enrich the edition. It is a reference text for the study of politics as the art of governance in the humanistic-baroque period.

This is the first Elzevir edition (the most sought-after and praised compared with the 1650 and 1660 reissues, which have fewer preliminary pages). Elzevir small-format editions are among the most appreciated by collectors for their typography, elegant type, and portability.

Rare work on the antique market, especially complete with the folding plate and in the princeps Elzevir edition of 1642.

Similar copies occasionally appear at international auctions with significant valuations.

Widespread signs of wear throughout the work, as described, but overall intact and legible. Typical for a very-used 17th-century volume.

Representative copy of Elzeviriana production and of 17th-century German-imperial political literature. Ideal for Res Publica collections, European public law, or Elzevir prints.