RÜXNER, GEORG.

Alles jetzunder von neuwem zusammen getragen, mit schonen neuwen Figuren, sonderlich auch der Adelischen Wappen, auffs schönest zugericht, und allen Adels-Personen der hochberühmtesten Teutscher Ntion, hohes und nidern Stands, zu ehren und sonderm wolgefallen an tag geben, dergleischen nie gesehen worden. Alles jetzunder von neuwem zusammen getragen, mit schonen ne [Sigmund Feyerabend & Simon Hüter], Frankfurt 1566. Small folio in sixes [20 x 30 cm].(6)+CCXLIII+[14]+LXXXI+(1 blank) leaves [complete]. Illustrated with an engraved titleleaf with text in red and black, two doublepaged wood cut engravings and 122 half page wood cut engravings. Bound in a contemporary full calf binding, spine richly gilt. Spine professionally and very discretely restored. All three edges marbled. Titlepage with upper corner torn (outside text), an old stamp, a tiny hole and an inscription in contemporary hand. Leaf I with a restored, closed tear to the lower margin. Six leaves with a few marginal notes in contemporary hand. An old wormhole to th last 100 leaves, [so there are a letter partly missing on each pages, but no real textloss]. Some dampstaining. Bookplate inserted.

* Magnificent book from the very last part of the era of jousting tournaments. Jousting had been the primary (and dangerous!) sport of the aristocratic knights of Europe since the early 1300's, but the tragic death of the French King Henry II in a tournament in 1559 caused the sport to lose its popularity over the next decades. This was also due to the diminished importance of knights with lances on the battlefields - the introduction of the arquebus guns had made the armours more or less obsolete, so the knights were being outphased.