JACOBUS FONTANUS (Jacques Fonteyn): De Bello Rhodio Libri Tres. Haganoae (Haguenau) 1527 Second edition of the best account of the siege and fall of Rhodes to the Ottomans in 1522, by the eyewitness Fonteyn, a Knight of St. John who fought in the defense. In 8vo (19 × 14 cm). Later full vellum. Complete with beautiful ornamental title page within a woodcut border, 56 leaves (111 unnumbered pages), and a Renaissance printed device beneath the colophon. Text clean and bright. Ex Royal Library stamp on title. Overall, a fine copy of a 500-year-old book. This is the first edition printed north of the Alps, the first having appeared in Rome in 1524. The siege and fall of Rhodes was one of the defining events in the Levant during the 16th century. Fonteyn provides an accurate, first-hand account of the fierce battles and sacrifices of the Knights of the Hospital of St. John, who had held Rhodes as their stronghold since 1309. With only 600 knights and 4,500 Christian soldiers, they resisted an Ottoman force of 100,000 for five months, before finally capitulating and evacuating the island on 1 January 1523. The preface to this edition was written by the humanist Philipp Melanchthon. References: VD16 F1843; Blackmer 120. A very early and rare account for the Levant.