[Opera.]

XENOPHON.

Published by [Basel, Michael Isingrin, 1545.], 1545

About this Item

Volume 2 only (of 2), 8vo, pp. 421, [3 (blank)], text in Latin, woodcut initials; a very good, clean copy, in contemporary French calf, covers decorated with two frames of black fillets, small gilt fleurons at corners and a central small gilt crowned double-headed eagle, spine with small flower stamp in compartments, title lettered horizontally along foredge, manuscript fragments used as sewing guards, endleaves with watermark of a unicorn; extremities a little rubbed, small loss to head of spine, upper joint starting to crack; early monogram 'SA' in ink on flyleaf.A volume of Xenophon in Latin from the renowned library of Marcus Fugger (1529 1597). Marcus owned a very substantial library with books bound in varying styles; this is one of the numerous books bought from Paris in around 1550, many of which were classical texts, bound in this relatively simple style, and with the author's name written along the foredge in clear capital letters. Although referred to as the 'German Grolier' for the fine bindings he commissioned, many of his books were more simply bound. A copy of Sallust with the same binding stamps is illustrated in Hobson & Culot, Italian and French 16th-Century Bookbindings (1991), item 41.The Fugger family colours were blue and yellow; the endbands here were made of blue thread, and the edges were originally coloured yellow.Marcus's books descended through different branches of the Fugger family, many of them reaching the Oettingen-Wallerstein counts who sold some of their library in the 1930s, the rest later being acquired for the University Library in Augsburg. This volume travelled a different route and it was most likely part of a group lot in the Sotheby's sale on 5 December 1991, which contained numerous books from Marcus Fugger's library. Many of his books contain the SA monogram on the flyleaf, which has so far been unidentified.Loosely inserted is a letter from Dr Paul Berthold Rupp of Augsburg University Library, dated 1992, confirming the owner's supposition that the book was indeed from Marcus Fugger's library.The text contains translations of Xenophon by Francesco Filelfo, Cardinal Bessarion, Leonardo Bruni, Ognibene da Lonigo, Raffaele Maffei, as well as the first printing of Jean Ribit's translation of De vectigalibus (On public revenues); according to Ribit's preface (pp.310-312), dated Lausanne, 6 February 1545, this was carried out at the specific request of Conrad Gessner.USTC 606416; VD16 X 12 (for both volumes).

Seller Inventory # C4111.2

Bibliographic Details

• Title: [Opera.]
• Publisher: [Basel, Michael Isingrin, 1545.]
• Publication Date: 1545
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition