Cologne, 1630, and Steyr, 1754 Martin von Cochem: Verbesserte Legend Der Heiligen: Das ist, Eine schöne, klare und anmüthige Beschreibung des Lebens, Leydens und Sterbens Von den Lieben Heiligen Gottes. Format 4°, 21.3x17.8 cm. 1291 numbered pages (pp. 535/536 and 713-720 missing) + 2 leaves of index, in German. Title page printed in black and red. Copper-engraved frontispiece and half-page illustrations introducing the chapters devoted to individual months. Initials, headpieces, vignettes. Solid leather binding with blind-tooled decoration and 2 clasps, spine with 5 raised bands and a detached label. Published by Franz Anton Ilger in Linz, printed by Gregor Menhardt in Steyr in 1754. Damage consistent with use proportionate to the book's age, also slightly affected by woodworm and moisture. Bound together with: Pedro de Ribadeneira: Flos sanctorum, sive vitae sanctorum in modum concionum scriptae. Format 2°, 35.8x21 cm. 60 (Vita Domini nostri Jesu Christi), 645 (Pars Prima), 377 (Pars Altera), 55 (Appendix) numbered pages, in Latin. Title pages printed in black. Initials, headpieces, vignettes. Solid leather binding with blind-tooled decoration, clasps preserved only as fragments, spine with 5 raised bands. Published by Joannes Kinckius in Latin in Cologne in 1630. A collection of lives of the saints arranged in the form of sermons. Binding torn, leaves browned, stained, traces of woodworm. On the title page a partially erased ownership inscription, on the rear endpaper a Latin quotation "Omne in oculos tuos deveniet. ... Iustissime". Martin von Cochem (birth name Linius) - German Roman Catholic priest, Capuchin and writer of popular devotional literature. In the 18th century he was among the most popular and most published authors in Catholic Central Europe, including the Czech lands. He entered the Capuchin order, was ordained a priest in 1657, and completed his theological studies in 1663. He worked in pastoral care and in various Capuchin monasteries, e.g. in Prague at Hradčany in 1693-1695. He is the author of numerous religious books which, for their popular and often apocryphal character, were criticised by Church theologians already during his lifetime, but which became beloved reading among broad segments of the population. From 1666 Martin also worked as a popular missionary, and in his work he focused above all on general popular piety. The first group of his works consists of prayer books such as Nebe-klíč (Key to Heaven) or Štěpná zahrada (Grafted Garden). He further focused on legends of the saints and treatments of biblical themes, especially in the book The Great Life of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and of His Most Holy and Most Beloved Mother, the Virgin Mary.