Josephus Flavius

OPERA

      Belgium Not after 1475 - RARE PRINTING AND A HIGHLY ELUSIVE EDITION. ONE OF THE FIRST BOOKS PRINTED IN BELGIUM. Handsomely illuminated: 9-line initial in gold on [a]1; 18-line initial in blue and white on [a]2; 7- to 11-line book opening initials in red and blue with pen-work decoration; 3-line chapter-opening initials in red or blue; [aa]1 with leafy borders on both side of leaf. Early annotations in a fine calligraphic hand. Folio [390 x 281 mm.] , bound in contemporary Renaissance styled half pigskin over wooden boards, the spine with raised bands. 417 leaves (of 420). A beautiful and finely preserved copy. Without the blank leaves at the end of each text) only; [aa]1 remargined and probably supplied from another copy; and with the tabula complete and bound at the front. ONE OF THE FIRST BOOKS PRINTED IN BELGIUM. THE RAREST OF ALL INCUNABLE PRINTINGS OF JOSEPHUS Ð and very probably the rarest of all printings of Josephus altogether Ð this book remains a bibliographic "mystery." No printer (or town) has been assigned to this book and the dating is a terminus ante quem based on an acquisition note (dated "1475") in the British Library copy. The text appears to have been based on a corrupt manuscript source, and this particular copy has been closely read and neatly corrected in the text body at an early date. Goff lists this edition second in his Josephus entry in Incunabula in American Libraries, suggesting that itÕs actual dating may in fact be earlier than 1475. We think that the bibliographic study of this particular copy -- the comparison of its text and corrections with other early editions -- may reveal this editionÕs relative positioning to other incunable editions with greater certainty. As it stands, the current ascription of this edition to "Belgium, not after 1475" makes this One of the First Books Printed in Belgium. Only a very small number of copies of this edition are known to exist: some 3 or 4 copies are in American libraries; the British Library and Oxford own copies; but there is apparently no copy at the Bibliotheque Nationale, and no copies are listed in the World Catalog. [Attributes: Hard Cover]