Collection of 9 works in 6 vol.

6 vol., 4to (normal toning, some light spotting near margins, some local minor staining, vol. IV f. CC1: sm. piece torn out taking some letters).

Uniformly bound in 19th-c. half sheep, marbled paper over covers, gilt spines with raised bands, marbled edges (spines uniformly discoloured, some tiny def. at heads or tails). Good set.

Important & superb collection of early ed. of Cats' works, ill. with many hundreds of engr. large emblems or plates in-text. Vol. I: 1. Silenus Alcibiadis sive Proteus [and] Monita amoris virginei [...] Maechden-plicht.. Amst. W.J. Blaeu, 1622. 3 engr. titles, 1 engr. folding pl. "Kinderspel" & 1 engr. full-page pl. - 2. Gedachten op slapeloose nachten [and] Twee-en-tagtig-jaarig leven. Leiden, J. van der Deyster, 1732. 2 engr. titles. - Vol. II: 3. Houwelyck. Middelburg, J.P. van de Venne, 1625. 1st ed. 2 engr. titles. - Vol. III: 4. Proteus ofte minne-beelden verandert in sinne-beelden. Rotterdam, P. van Waesberge, 1627. 1st ed. Engr. title & 2 engr. full-page portr. (Galathea trimmed short & mounted). - 5. Self-stryt. Dordrecht, H. van Esch for M. Havius, 1634. Engr. title. - 6. Tooneel vande mannelicke achtbaerheyt. Middelburg, H. van der Hellen for J.P. van de Venne, 1622 (f. K1 mounted, ff. K2-4 (index) missing). Pirated ed. of the 1st ed. Followed by pp. 75-112 (ff. K2-O4) of a work with "κερκυραια μαστιξ, 't Kostelick mal. Aen den heere Jacob Cats" by C. Huygens. - Vol. IV: 7. Spiegel vanden ouden ende nieuwen tijt. Dordrecht, H. van Esch for M. Havius, 1635. Engr. title. - Vol. V: 8. 's Werelts begin, midden, eynde, besloten in den trou-ringh met den proef-steen van den selven. Ibid., 1637. 1st ed. Engr. folding title, engr. portrait of Anna Maria Schurmans & 3 full-page pl. (i.a. portr. of Cats). - Vol. VI: 9. Ouderdom, buyten-leven en hof-gedachten op Sorgh-vliet. Amst., J.J. Schipper, 1656. 2 engr. titles (cut short at bottom taking letters), 2 engr. full-page pl. & 2 double-page pl. ("Huwelyx fuyk" & "Sic transit gloria mundi").
Ref. Cats catalogus 173 (1.), 41 (2.), 49 (3.), 175 (4.), 153 (5.), 210 (6.), 189 (7.), 225 (8.), 130 (9.). - Landwehr (LC) 111 & 135 (1.), 118 (4.), 153 (7.). - STCN.