DAMHOUDERE (Joost de). Praxis rerum criminalium. Antwerp, Jean Bellère, 1570. small in-4, marbled basane, ornate spine, mottled edges (17th century binding). A famous manual of criminal law, much sought after for its illustrations, detailing the crimes and judicial punishments in force in Flanders and elsewhere, compiled by the Bruges jurisconsult Joost de Damhouder (1507-1581) and originally published in 1551. This new, revised and enlarged Latin edition is decorated with 73 woodcuts, including a portrait and the author's coat of arms and that of the dedicatee, Philippe de Noircarmes, and 70 figures in the text, often full-page, depicting scenes of crime and debauchery, as well as the tortures to which the perpetrators were subjected. Top cap missing, foot margin of title rebacked, scattered foxing and spotting, a few leaves browned. Brunet, II, 479 - Caillet, n°2769 - Dorbon, n°967.