1683 Rare Latin Book - The Guide to Heaven by Giovanni Bona - Manuductio Ad Coelum
(description)
Author : Giovanni Bona
Title :Manuductio Ad Coelum Medullam continens Sanctorum Patrum & veterum Philosophorum.
Language : Text in Latin.
Publisher : Coloniae : sumptibus Hermanni Demen, 1683.
Size : 4.5 " X 3 "
Pages : 204 pages
Binding : Very good half calf leather binding (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed) under a removable protective mylar cover.
Content : Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare foxing and staining, staining on lower inner corner of title page and first pages, exlibris of a previous owner on first endpaper).
Estimate: (USD 150 - USD 400)
The book : Rare and nice 17th century of The Guide to Heaven by Giovanni Bona. His "Manuductio ad cælum" (1658) is often compared to Thomas a Kempis's "Imitation of Christ" on account of simplicity of the style in which the solid doctrine is taught. Besides passing through fourteen Latin editions in four decades, it has been translated into Italian, French, German, Armenian and Spanish. Sir Roger L'Estrange produced an English translation ("The Guide to Heaven", 1680), later reprinted as "A Guide to Eternity" (London 1900).
The author : Giovanni Bona (1609–1674) was an Italian Cistercian, cardinal, liturgist and devotional author .He was born of an old French family at Mondovì, in Piedmont, northern Italy, on 19 October, according to some 10 October, 1609. His father favoured a military career for him but, after passing some years at a nearby Jesuit college, he entered the Cistercian monastery of the Congregation of the Feuillants at Pinerolo in 1624. There, as also later at Rome, he pursued his studies with exceptional success.He laboured for fifteen years at Turin, then as prior at Asti and as abbot at Mondovi, and in 1651 was called to preside over the whole congregation as superior general. During his seven years of official life in Rome he modestly declined all further honours, refusing the Bishopric of Asti.
He welcomed the expiration of his third term, in the scholar's hope that he would be allowed to enjoy a life of retirement and study, but his intimate friend, Pope Alexander VII, wishing to honour his learning and piety, made him Consultor to the Congregation of the Index and to the Holy Office. In 1669 Clement IX, made him cardinal. There was no change in his extremely simple manner of life, and every year he donated his surplus revenue to the needy priests of the Missionary College at Rome. He died at Rome on 28 October 1674.