49. Set consisting of "Carte românească de învățătură (Cazania lui Varlaam)" ("Romanian Teaching Book") edited by metrolopitan Varlaam, printed in the royal printing house of the "Trei Ierarhi" monastery, during the reign of Vasile Lupu, first edition, Iași, 1643, the first book written in Romanian, with ex-libris, a very rare piece, accompanied by "Cazania lui Varlaam în Transilvania" ("Varlaam's Cazania in Transylvania"), by Florian Dudaș, Cluj-Napoca, 1983, with dedication of the author to Șerban Cioculescu, from the collection of the literary critic Șerban Cioculescu

The Homiliary of Varlaam is the most beautiful Romanian teaching book printed by Romanians during the Middle Ages. Through its content and aspect, The Homiliary of Varlaam is a teaching book, a monument of Romanian language and literature and, at the same time, a work of art. The book is 371F+116F, with frequent numbering errors; it is printed in black and red, with two typefaces, large and small; the page has 19 or 28 lines; the title page, the first four pages at the beginning of the book and the last three pages after the engraving of Saint Paraschiva are missing; pages 212, 321 and 323 are missing, but are marked by white pages; the text is decorated with engravings signed by the printer Ilia; beautiful frontispieces, initials and final vignettes; contains three bookplates, two manuscripts and one label made on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the reign of Vasile Lupu; one manuscript bookplate is a personal note of Șerban Cioculescu who owned the book; and the second manuscript bookplate indicates another owner, the priest C. Matasău from Piatra Neamț in 1924. The binding of the book is made of wooden boards covered with brown leather, from the 18th-19th Century; the edge shows traces of decoration and the name of the book. The book keeps some manuscript writings dating from the 18th-19th Century Researcher Florian Dudaș, one of the most valuable specialists who studied old Romanian books, published an important work discussing the circulation of this work in Transylvania and bringing many new information on the subject.

Dimensions

custom 29 x 21 cm și 24.5 x 18 cm

Research information

BRV. I, pos. 45

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