The famed Weschel edition of Aristotle

About this Item

The famed Weschel edition or the Aristotelis Opera was a landmark in the study of Aristotle This great edition of the complete works of Aristotle in Greek was the highest achievement of Aristotelian studies in the sixteenth century and a standard for subsequent ages, has been described at length in Brunet's bibliography. It includes, of course, the works of natural history as well as the philosophical and other writings.It has been edited by the great Aristotelian, Frederick Sylburg, and printed by the Calvinist French printer family of Wechel, who took refuge in Germany during the Huguenot wars. In total there are 6 works here bound as 5. They appear to have been assembled in the 19th century with charming mismatched bindings covering the full gamut from contemporary limp vellum to 19th century calf. The full set ran eventually to 11 volumes, but complete sets are practically impossible to obtain (RBH only records 1 over 80 years) and even partial runs are rarely encountered as the individual volumes are often sold separately. Book 1: ARISTOTLE, attributed to. Problemata. Frankfurt am Main Heirs of Andreas Wechel, 1585. Greek text. 8 unnumbered leaves, plus 493 numbered, 3 unnumbered., including final colophon leaf with printer's device on verso. 4to, 22 x 16 cm., Contemporary limp vellum, some toning throughout. "Problemata" of Aristotle refers to a collection of texts that were attributed to Aristotle in the ancient world but were probably not written by him. The texts consist of a series of questions and problems, many of which are scientific or medical in nature. Book 2: (2 works in 1 ) Rhetorica and Poetica. 1584. 341 numbered pages plus one blank leaf. BOUND WITH Eudemian Ethics and the Characters of Theophrastus. 2 unnumbered leaves plus 332 numbered pages. 19th century calf, worn, Internally some toning Book 3: Animalium Historia. 1587. 22 unnumbered leaves plus 484 numbered pages. Minor loss to t,p, not affecting text., Early calfm, worn with some losses. With the 1682 signature and later 18th century bookplate of George Stanhope (5 March 1660 - 18 March 1728) clergyman of the Church of England, rising to be Dean of Canterbury and a Royal Chaplain. He was also amongst the commissioners responsible for the building of fifty new churches in London, and a leading figure in church politics of the early 18th century. Stanhope also founded the Stanhope School in 1715. Book 4: Preface 44 pages. Bound with Organon. 1585. 2 unnumbered leaves, plus 542 numbered pages; interesting early marginal annotations in Greek to about 40 pages. Old calf, hinges holding but weak, Book 5: Politica et Economica. 1587. 4 unnumbered leaves plus 370 numbered pages. 18th century vellum and marbled boards. Seller Inventory # 33

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Title: The famed Weschel edition of Aristotle