BOHOMOLEC JAN X., THE DEVIL IN SWOIEY POSTACI : FROM THE BARGAIN OF THE QUESTION IF THERE ARE UPIORS SHOWN. CZ. I, [1775]

Description

Rev. Jan Bohomolec, “The devil in his own form : from the bargain of the question if there are upiors shown”. Part I

Warsaw 1775, M. Gröll.

21 cm; [7] p., 362 p. (should read: [8] k., 374 p., [1] k.).

The Warsaw edition of 1775, published by Michal Gröll, is among the important prints of the Polish Enlightenment polemical-religious period. The work of Father Jan Bohomolc – a Jesuit, publicist and playwright, one of the most important intellectual figures of the Stanislaus era – is an example of a rationalist treatise aimed at superstition and belief in ghosts, and is part of the current of Enlightenment criticism of superstition.

The print is noted in Karol Estreicher’s “Bibliografia Polska” (18th century section, entry Bohomolec), which confirms its place in the basic bibliographic corpus of the era. Gröll’s publications are among the most recognizable Warsaw outlets of the second half of the 18th century, and their prints are a permanent segment of the collectors’ market.

An incomplete copy relative to the full collation (missing pagination as specified), but preserved as a compact volume. Condition after professional conservation.

The volume is bound in a handmade leather binding in the bindery of the Polish Antiquarian. The classic binding design ensures the stability of the book block and long-term preservation, which in the case of 18th-century prints is important for maintaining market value.

Enlightenment prints from Gröll’s Warsaw outhouse, especially those by Bohomoltz, remain of interest to collectors of Stanislawski literature and investors building representative collections of 18th century Polish old prints. The historical significance of the work, its place in the intellectual disputes of the era and the publisher’s recognition make the copy an object of distinct collector rank.