LOYOLA’S SPIRITUAL EXERCISES FOR SPANISH NUNS: THE RARE FIRST EDITION, NO COPY IN US LIBRARIES. 4to. [18.5 x 13.5 cm]. (8), 340 pp, (4). Title-page within woodcut border. Early ownership inscription (Juan Lario) on title-page. Trimmed a little closely, occasionally affecting first letter of glosses or running titles; gutters of K2-4 with small closed tears due to thin paperstock with text minimally affected. Very rare first Spanish edition of this manual for nuns interested in participating in Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises. The first edition of Pinamonti’s guide appeared in Modena in 1694 and enjoyed dozens of editions throughout the 18th century; the present Spanish translation by the Jesuit Marti?n Pérez de Culla also proved popular, but the first edition is rare in census, with no copy recorded in US libraries. In his preface, Pérez de Culla describes the idealized Counter-Reformation nun, guided and battle-hardened by the rigorous Exercises of Loyola. “Spiritual direction was not a new phenomenon, but it undeniably developed significantly over the Early Modern period. The Jesuits promoted it very actively and from a very early stage, turning it also into a characteristic element of their apostolic methods… Missionaries or not, there was no shortage of Jesuits who maintained intense written exchange, through and endless number of spiritual letters in which they gave all sorts of advice and warnings to their recipients, many of whom – as is well known – were women, both nuns and laypeople.” (Zupanov, The Oxford Handbook of the Jesuits, pp. 117-118). Pinamonti’s work guides the nun through 10 days of exercises, each composed of a ‘Lición’, an ‘Examen’, and four ‘Meditación’. Preceding this is a “brevissima Instrucción para la Oración Mental” (pp. 6-10), and on pp. 14-15 we find Pinamonti recommending the best times of the day to complete the exercises. After waking up at 5am to mentally prepare, the first meditación is conducted between 5:30-6:30, followed by breakfast and a quick break for manual labor from 8-8:30. The second meditación takes place between 9:30-10:30am; the day ends with the fourth meditación from 6-7pm, and dinner is served at 9pm. OCLC shows just a handful of copies of this first Spanish translation in Spanish libraries, and none in the US. An undated, later edition (“ultima impression”) was printed in Barcelona and is recorded as ‘ca. 1700’ in OCLC, but we see little evidence for this dating. * Aguilar Piñal #2546; Palau 226169 (later ed.); De Backer-Sommervogel II, col. 1871.