Caij Julij Cesaris des grossmechtigen ersten Römischen Keysers Historien von Gallier und der Römer Burgerische Krieg: so er selbst beschrieben: und seiner ritterlichen tugent gefüret hat. by CAESAR, Gaius Julius

Mainz, Johannem Schöffer, 1530. Folio. (32),+ CLXIII ll. Richly illustrated with 115 wood cuts in pagination, of which 14 are full page, and with wood cut device of Schöffer. Minor stain in margins, some spotting, more on ll. 40-41, 45-48. Paper repair on leaf (2), (7-9 in upper margin) and (27). Contemporary ink annotations in margins, mainly in the beginning. Modern rebound in old vellum antiphonary leaf, with notes and text written with black and red ink, small crack at top of front hinge. From the library of Victor von Stedingk, with his book plate, and from the library of Bengt Lassen. VD16, C 56. Adams C80. Schweiger p. 51. The Mainz edition, printed by Johannes Schöffer, the son of Peter Schöffer, of the first German translation of Caesar’s ”De bello gallico” and ”De bello civili”. The translation made by Ringmann Philesius, i.e. Matthias Ringmann, was first published in Strassburg in 1507, with a second edition in 1508. This is the third edition. It also contains a German translation of Plutarch’s Caesar biography and of Aulus Hircius on the alexandrinian, the african and the spanish wars, as well as the poem, ”Julius Cesar bin ichs genant”, with the end lines, ”Mein bücher zu latein Schrieb ich/ Philesius hat gedeutschet mich”, a poem probably written by the translator. The full page wood cuts come from the illustrated second Strassburg edition by Grüninger 1508. The wood cut illustrations are sometimes attributed to Hans Sebald Beham or his school. Bengt Lassen (1908-74) var hovrättsråd och åren 1953-73 VD för Norstedts förlag. Han var en duktig latinst och hade en fin samling romerska författare. Han figurerar i bakgrunden i Maria Langs deckare ”Mördarens bok”.