Marsilio of Padua: Defensor pacis (“The Bombed Book”). Basel 1522.
Tyskl. 27420 2º

The bombed book and the grenade	Frontispiece	The steeple of the Church of Our Lady on fire

First printed edition of Marsilio of Padua’s political treaty Defensor pacis, written in the 1320’s. The book belonged to the University Library of Copenhagen, which was housed in the attic of the Church of the Holy Trinity. During the English bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807, some grenades fell through the roof, and ironically this book – The Defender of Peace – was among the ones that were hit.

29.3 x 19.6 cm.

© Det Kongelige Bibliotek 2003