C. Iulii Caesaris Commentarii. Lyon, Sebastian Gryphius, 1540. Bound with Henricus Glareanus, Annotationes in Caesarem, 1538. Illustrated with 2 maps and 5 woodcuts

CAESAR, Gaius Julius; GLAREANUS, Henricus. Two early Lyon editions printed by Sebastian Gryphius, bound together. Lyon: apud Sebastianum Gryphium, 1538–1540. A highly attractive Renaissance scholarly volume bringing together Julius Caesar and the important humanist commentary of Henricus Glareanus, both issued by Sebastian Gryphius, one of the leading humanist printers of sixteenth-century Lyon. I. CAESAR, Gaius Julius. C. Iulii Caesaris Commentarii. Lugduni: apud Sebastianum Gryphium, 1540. An early Gryphius edition of Caesar's Commentarii, with Gryphius's printer's device on the title page. The volume contains the De Bello Gallico and De Bello Civili, together with the continuations traditionally attributed to Aulus Hirtius and others. The Caesar text in this composite volume has been personally collated as follows: [32] leaves + 524 pages + [32] leaves. Illustrated with two double-page woodcut maps, representing Gallia and Hispania, and five full-page woodcuts. The presence of these maps and military woodcuts gives the edition particular visual and bibliographical interest. The text also preserves early manuscript annotations and signs of scholarly use. II. GLAREANUS, Henricus. In C. Iulii Caesaris clarissimi Roman. imperatoris Commentarios de bello Gallico ac civili, Henrici Glareani poetae laureati Annotationes. Lugduni: apud Sebastianum Gryphium, 1538. An early Lyon edition of Glareanus's important humanist annotations on Caesar. The Glareanus section has been personally collated with: title leaf a1 present; dedication leaf a2 present; text continuing through p. 125, ending with FINIS. No certain textual loss was identified during the physical collation. Henricus Glareanus (1488–1563), the Swiss humanist, geographer and scholar, was one of the important intellectual figures of the northern Renaissance. His commentary on Caesar reflects the humanist practice of close philological and historical reading and forms a particularly appropriate companion to the Caesar text preserved in the same volume. The volume is especially appealing for its combination of early Lyon printing, Gryphius typography, Renaissance humanist scholarship, woodcut cartography, military illustration and early manuscript annotation. Bibliographical references for the 1538 Gryphius Caesar tradition: Baudrier, Bibliographie lyonnaise, VIII, p. 110; Graesse, Trésor de livres rares et précieux, II, p. 6; Schweiger, Handbuch der classischen Bibliographie, II, p. 41; Index Aureliensis, no. 128700; Ebert, no. 3259; Rosenthal, Kat. 233/55. The related 1538 Gryphius Caesar edition is bibliographically documented as an important and uncommon Lyon printing associated with the Glareanus commentary. Condition: Good. Early composite volume showing age and scholarly use. Scattered spotting and staining, occasional marginal soiling and normal handling wear. Several early manuscript annotations and ownership notes are present. Title pages show some staining and manuscript notation. The paper remains generally strong and the text clearly legible. The two double-page woodcut maps and five full-page woodcuts are present. The Glareanus section retains title leaf a1 and dedication leaf a2 and runs through p. 125 with FINIS. No certain textual loss was identified in the personally checked collation. Binding sound overall, with age-related wear consistent with a sixteenth-century working copy. Please refer to the photographs for a full visual record of condition.