Beschreibung:

GELLIUS, Aulus (c.123-c.165). Noctes Atticae . Edited by Joannes Andreae de Buxiis (1417-1475), bishop of Aleria. Rome: In domo Petri de Maximis [Conradus Sweynheym and Arnoldus Pannartz], 11 April 1469.
GELLIUS, Aulus (c.123-c.165). Noctes Atticae . Edited by Joannes Andreae de Buxiis (1417-1475), bishop of Aleria. Rome: In domo Petri de Maximis [Conradus Sweynheym and Arnoldus Pannartz], 11 April 1469. Median 2° (328 x 222mm). Collation: [16 210 36 4-810 912 10-2010 218] (1/1 blank, 1/2r dedicatory letter by Bussi to Pope Paul II, 1/6v blank, 2/1 blank, 2/2r tabula, 3/6 blank, 4/1r Noctes Atticae , 21/7v verses by Bussi in praise of Paul II, 21/8v blank). 194 (of 202) leaves. 38 lines. Types 2:115R, 115Gk. 2- to 7-line initial spaces, spaces for headings. Illuminated in contemporary Roman style. Opening text is a 7-line gold Roman ‘P’ surrounded by full border of interlaced vine-stems defined in red, blue, green and gold, including wreathed coat of arms, plus similarly illuminated initial at beginning of each book and rubrication in red and blue throughout. (Lacking first quire and two blanks in table of contents, occasional variable spotting, clean tears to lower margin of first text leaf and 13/4, margin paper flaw in penultimate leaf.) Early 18th-century calf, sides with a dyed semé and floral gilt border, central Trivulzio armorial, gilt spine with pomegranates and leather label, early title inked along lower fore-edge (a bit scuffed, some minor repairs). Provenance : unidentified Italian noble family (coat of arms at foot of illuminated border) – Carlo Barbavara (first quarter of 16th century: ex libris, from his father Marcolino, and numerous marginalia) – Teodoro Alessandro Trivulzio (1694-1763: armorial binding) – Richard Heber (1773-1833: library stamp) – Thomas Henry Hope (gift note from his father, John Thomas dated 1837). FIRST EDITION and one of the earliest Italian imprints. The Noctes Atticae , a work of short chapters on a variety of subjects such as philosophy, history, law, literature and grammar, was written in the latter half of the second century. Gellius began work during the winter nights in Attica and produced the book for the entertainment and instruction of his children. It enjoyed great success even in Antiquity and throughout the Middle Ages. Some Latin and Greek works of Antiquity are known only from this work through Gellius’s extensive quotations. Consequently, the text is peppered with Greek: one lengthy passage of Plato's Gorgias takes up a complete leaf ([k]6), printed entirely in Greek and continued on the next page. Sweynheym and Pannartz, the prototypographers of Italy, whose first press stood at the Benedictine Monastery in Subiaco, printed many first editions of the Latin classics. According to an appeal for financial help to the pope on their behalf by the chief editor to the press, Giovanni Andrea Bussi, 275 copies of the Gellius were printed. Their list, including the edition sizes, appeared in the 1471-2 edition of Nicolaus de Lyra. Rare on the market: the last copy sold at auction was the Botfield copy in these rooms in 1994. ISTC ig00118000. HCR 7517; GW 10593; BMC IV, 6; Pellechet 5008; IGI 4186; Bod-inc G-504; Goff G-118.