Book Description

folio, [10], 189, [18] ff., colophon on Ii3 with device (Kristeller 10), lacking blank Ii4 but with the 18 ff. of Orpheus Latinus following, repair in inner margin of title, small defect to margins of last few leaves, a very clean & crisp copy, 18th-cent. vellum
Dealer Notes
Partly editio princeps: Pius prints three new books, as well as his own continuation. E.Courtney in his preface to the Teubner text (1970) calls this the most important of the early editions: Pius was the first to use the codex Vaticanus, which has lost 5 leaves since his time, and made many useful emendations; he was also the first to unite the Argonautica of Valerius Flaccus and of ‘Orpheus’, the two classicall poems on the legend of the Golden Fleece. The book has long been known to be rare. Burmann, in his edition (1724) relates how Heinsius sought a copy for years, and rejoiced when he found one. Today there is no copy in BL or Cambridge: COPAC reports at Manchester and Bodley. The Abrams copy, back in 1989, made £2500. Burmann mentions that when found the book tends to lack the Orpheus Latinus at the end (he claims that in his day it was abstracted and sold as an incunable). Some 30 years ago just such a copy passed through our hands, and we are pleased that our present copy of this legendary rarity is complete.
Author VALERIUS FLACCUS
Date 1519
Binding ellum
Publisher Bologna, Hieronymus Platonicus [de Benedictis]
Condition Very good

Friends of the PBFA

For £10 get free entry to our fairs, updates from the PBFA and more.

Please email info@pbfa.org for more information

Join PBFA

Membership of the PBFA is open to anyone who has been trading in antiquarian and second-hand books for a minimum of two years subject to certain criteria.

Email info@pbfa.org to find out more, or complete the enquiry form.

complete the form