St Isidore (c.560-636) was an Iberian scholar and the Archbishop of Seville, who wrote one of the most influential encyclopaedic works of the Middle Ages. Entitled Etymologies, this compilation covers most areas of knowledge of his time, structured in the form of definitions and etymologies. It is divided in twenty chapters which discuss topics such as the universe, the human body and society, materials found in the natural world, time, languages, the seven liberal arts, the Bible and Christian doctrine. While some of Isidore’s etymologies and other details he provides may seem dated or incorrect by modern standards, the Etymologies was incredibly popular for centuries, which is confirmed by the number of surviving manuscripts: almost one thousand. This copy is one of the ten printed editions published during the fifteenth century.

Bibliographic description
Royal paper folio. [142] leaves. Lacks colophon. Some gatherings are numbered by hand in Arabic numerals on each first recto; manuascript leaf signatures in red are sometimes visible. Simple red, green or yellow intials; red paragraph signs and decoration to minims of capitals; red running headers and chapter numbers. Greek letters and geometric shapes added by hand in red (e.g. ff.4r, 118v-119r). Leather tags at the beginning of each new section. Woodcut illustrations include circular tables of months and seasons (ff.29v-30v, 34r), on the movement of earth (f.35v), and a T-O map (f.99v). 

Binding description 
Rebound around 1910-1920 in alum tawed pig skin; original boards leather onlayed as pastedowns (red morocco with gilt centrepiece and border). Textile inner joints, double core headbands, six raised bands attaching board.