Two Early Sixteenth Century Editions of Classical Histories, One Edited by Erasmus
by Attractive Editions of Quintus Curtius and Orosius
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller
-
Dover, New Hampshire, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Quintus Curtius Rufus, De rebus gestis Alexandri Magni. Cum annotationibus D. Erasmi
Folio. [4], LXXXIX leaves; [10], 124 pages. Late sixteenth (?) century leather; light scuffing, hinges cracked but cords holding tightly; insect damage to text block with loss of text throughout; margins in Orosius trimmed close, affecting title image. First printing of Erasmus' critical edition of Quintus Curtius. This first century Roman biography of Alexander the Great was an early Renaissance bestseller, with editions from at least a dozen printers throughout Europe by 1517. Erasmus brought it as reading material on a voyage to England in 1517, and finding the text incomplete and corrupt, he prepared his own critical edition. This was first published by his friend Strasbourg printer Matthias Schürer in 1518. Erasmus' version proved so popular that five more printers had issued their own editions of his text by 1541; these in turn were reprinted a total of five more times by 1575. This first edition is scarce on the market, with Rare Book Hub locating only one sale at auction since 1971, at PBA in 2008 for $2,400.
Bound with: Paulus Orosius, Adversvs paganos historiarvm libri septem. Cologne: Eucharius Cervicornus, 1526. An attractive copy of this first universal history by a Christian writer, Paulus Orosius (c 375-c 418), a Hispanic student of St Augustine who traveled widely throughout the Mediterranean. Elaborate title page border depicting the labors of Hercules, signed "AW," Anton Woensam (1493-1541), a prolific painter and woodcut artist whose work was favored by the booming publishing industry in Cologne. Other page borders and initials are also by Woensam, as described by Merlo, 1864.
Folio. [4], LXXXIX leaves; [10], 124 pages. Late sixteenth (?) century leather; light scuffing, hinges cracked but cords holding tightly; insect damage to text block with loss of text throughout; margins in Orosius trimmed close, affecting title image. First printing of Erasmus' critical edition of Quintus Curtius. This first century Roman biography of Alexander the Great was an early Renaissance bestseller, with editions from at least a dozen printers throughout Europe by 1517. Erasmus brought it as reading material on a voyage to England in 1517, and finding the text incomplete and corrupt, he prepared his own critical edition. This was first published by his friend Strasbourg printer Matthias Schürer in 1518. Erasmus' version proved so popular that five more printers had issued their own editions of his text by 1541; these in turn were reprinted a total of five more times by 1575. This first edition is scarce on the market, with Rare Book Hub locating only one sale at auction since 1971, at PBA in 2008 for $2,400.
Bound with: Paulus Orosius, Adversvs paganos historiarvm libri septem. Cologne: Eucharius Cervicornus, 1526. An attractive copy of this first universal history by a Christian writer, Paulus Orosius (c 375-c 418), a Hispanic student of St Augustine who traveled widely throughout the Mediterranean. Elaborate title page border depicting the labors of Hercules, signed "AW," Anton Woensam (1493-1541), a prolific painter and woodcut artist whose work was favored by the booming publishing industry in Cologne. Other page borders and initials are also by Woensam, as described by Merlo, 1864.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Archway Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- curtius
- Title
- Two Early Sixteenth Century Editions of Classical Histories, One Edited by Erasmus
- Author
- Attractive Editions of Quintus Curtius and Orosius
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Schürer
- Place of Publication
- Strasbourg
- Date Published
- 1518
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Keywords
- Early Printing
- Bookseller catalogs
- Early Printing;
Terms of Sale
Archway Books
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About the Seller
Archway Books
Biblio member since 2005
Dover, New Hampshire
About Archway Books
I have over thirty years experience as a full-time bookseller, ten years as owner of a brick and mortar shop and twenty-one on the internet and at book shows. My particular interest is in books and other printed objects as agents or artifacts of social upheaval and cultural clash.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Text Block
- Most simply the inside pages of a book. More precisely, the block of paper formed by the cut and stacked pages of a book....
- Cracked
- In reference to a hinge or a book's binding, means that the glue which holds the opposing leaves has allowed them to separate,...
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