Suidas [Greek Lexicon]

LEXICON GRAECUM.

      Milan Joannes Bissolis & Benedictus Mangius per Demetrio Chalcondylas 15 November 1499 - First Edition and Editio Princeps. A unique production of the Milanese typography created for this great Greek Lexicon. With the use of three different very fine Greek characters with different and separate fonts for the Latin passages. Folio, in a fine and handsome binding of full dark morocco in contemporary style, blindstamped and decorated very tastefully. 516 folio leaves. A beautiful copy, with generous margins. Fresh and very well preserved. A BOOK OF THE GREATEST IMPORTANCE. THIS IS THE EDITIO PRINCEPS AND FIRST EDITION OF THIS SUPERB BOOK. ÔThe Souida is an enormously voluminous book. There are at least 2,077,650 Greek letters in the book. To do all the punch-cutting and casting required, and to edit and print off a volume of this size in a time which cannot in any case exceed 15 or 16 months, was a marvellous feat, and justified those concerned in the production of the book in the laudatory dialogue.(Proctor, Printing of Greek, p. 112). The first edition of the book has been called one of the most important literary monuments from the Byzantine period (Krumbacher pp. 563-70). Based in part on the work of hesychius, it contains much information on Greek literature and history and preserves much Ôthat is ultimately derived from the earliest or best authorities in ancient scholarship, and includes topics from many departments of Greek learning and civilizationÕ (Oxford Classical Dict.) Aldus took as his copy text for his 1514 edition a manuscript different from that used for this, the true first edition and editio princeps. [Attributes: First Edition]