Although the Summa Theologiae is probably the most well known of St. Thomas Aquinas’s writing, it would be remiss not to feature our examples of his other works, which have each had their own influence on Western thought and Christianity. This first folio is In libros De anima expositio, or in English, Commentary on Aristotle’s De anima (On the Soul). This example is from 1501, published in Venice in Latin. A thin book compared to our other examples, coming in at only 75 leaves with several woodcuts throughout. What is also remarkable about this specific copy is the impressive amount of notes in the margins, which makes many of the pages extremely visually striking. Whoever studied with this copy certainly had a lot to write about! 21.5 cm long, 31.75 cm tall, and 2 cm wide with a contemporary green cover.

This second 16th century folio is one of our copies St. Thomas Aquinas’s Summa contra Gentiles. This example is printed in Latin, published in Paris in 1552. The Summa contra Gentiles is different from the Summa Theologiae, as this is more of an apologetics work than a theological guidebook. 24 cm long, 33 cm tall, and 9 cm wide, this is a large item, containing the entire work, although there are a few of the 502 leaves missing. There is no color in this example, just text in double columns with decorative initials. There are several reasons that this example of the Summa contra Gentiles is featured, the first of which being its “outward” focus on the teaching of Christianity to other groups, as opposed to the rigorous “inward” focus of the Summa Theologiae. The second reason for featuring this item is that there is an array of decorations used in the initials, not just one design. The third reason for including this specific copy is that it includes commentary from Franciscus De Sylvestris, a Dominican theologian who was also the Master of the Order from 1525 to 1528.

This folio is another copy of the Summa contra Gentiles and it was printed in Cologne in 1509; the text is Latin in Gothic type. A smaller example than the last copy, this one only has 130 leaves because there is no commentary included. This is one of the main reasons for including this copy, but not the only one. Other reasons include its physical characteristics, which consist of remnants of metal clasps on the cover, embossed cover with flowers, and bold Gothic text. The title page includes a very large initial in red and black, which is the only use of color in the text. There is also a delightful little woodcut initial that depicts St. Thomas Aquinas at a writing desk with a dove on his arm. This copy is in delicate condition, and it is 20 cm long, 28.5 cm tall, and 3 cm wide.

This folio is from our Clementine Library, part of the personal library of Pope Clement XI (1700-21). A very large item, it is 32 cm long, 44 cm tall, and 1 cm wide. Not a very thick book, it only contains 12 leaves of paper, and it was composed in Latin. Printed during his Pontificate in Rome in 1718, this work is a synthesis of the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas into small bite-sized pieces, compiled by his nephew, Cardinal Annibale Albani, with an introduction by Nicolaus Origo. This work also has a beautiful red cover embossed with the golden coat of arms of Cardinal Albani.