Giovanni Pico della Mirandola

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      Johann Prüss, Strassburg 1504 - The scarce fourth edition and the first post-incunable edition of Pico della Mirandola's collected works. BINDING, COLLATION, ETC: Chancery Folio (271 mm x 192 mm). Bound in 17th century French full mottled calf. Spine with raised bands decorated gilt tooled in compartments. Titled in gilt in the 2nd compartment and erroniously labeled "Vol. I" in 3rd compartment. All edges speckled red. Marbled endpapers. Green silk bookmark. 228 leaves (foliated [12], CCXVI). Signatures: pi6 aa6 A-Z6 a-n6. Complete. 3- to 5-line initial spaces with printed guides; unrubricated. Printed in roman letter, with the title printed in large gothic type. Printed marginal notes. Numerous quotations printed in Greek. Astrological diagram on e1r. Preface by Emser on verso of title (pi1v), prefaces by Wimpfeling and Giovanni Francesco Pico della Mirandola on pi5r. Index on leaves pi2r-pi4v. Table of contents (Tabula capitum) at the end of the volume, on leaves n4r-n6r. Colophon on n6r (n6v blank). CONDITION: Very good, attractive copy. Some leaves sightly browned. Occasional neat marginal notes in a very elegant early hand (probably a humanist scholar). Light marginal soiling to a few leaves. Binding rubbed, with some wear to edges. Slightly chipped at foot of spine; short crack at top of rear joint (with some Insignificant worming to top of spine). Generally very clean, bright and attractive copy in solid tight binding. ADDITIONAL NOTES: This scarce edition was edited by Hieronymus Emser, later a vehement opponent of Martin Luther whose tracts were publicly burned by Luther in Wittenberg in 1520. In his prefatory epistle to Prüss, Emser states that his text is carefully based on the 1496 Bologna editio princeps (Goff P-632) which used Pico's autographs, and exhorts Prüss to print with great care. He then adds that the Italians formerly printed with great care, but have latterly become negligent, and it is only just that the Germans, who invented the art of printing, should now again regain their reputation. "Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-94) is, after Marsilio Ficino, the best known philosopher of the Renaissance: his Oration on the Dignity of Man is better known than any other philosophical text of the fifteenth century." [Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy] His most important works (all included in this edition) are Heptaplus, Oratio ("Oration on the Dignity of Man"), De Ente et Uno, Apologia Tredecim Quaestionum and Disputationum Adversos Astrologos. The "Heptaplus" is a mystico-allegorical exposition of the Creation narrative of the Book of Genesis. In the Apologia Tredecim Quaestionum Pico defends against the accusation of heresy thirteen of his famous 'nine hundred theses' that he had planned to discuss in Rome. Pico's famous "Oration on the Dignity of Man", seen by many as the 'humanist manifesto' of the Italian Renaissance. Pico's influential attack on astrology Disputationum Adversos Astrologos was read by Kepler who agreed with most of its arguments (cf. Thorndike, VII, p.19). The Tractatus de Ente et Uno an explanation of the concordances between Aristotle's and Plato's philosophies. Also included is the Life of Pico written by his nephew Giovanni Francesco Pico della Mirandola, as well as numerous letters of Pico to illustrious learned friends such as Marsilio Ficino, Angelo Poliziano, Filippo Beroaldo, Cristoforo Landino, Baptista Mantuanus, Gioovanni Francesco Pico della Mirandola, Hieronymus Emser, et al. These are particularly useful for understanding the late 15th century humanistic thought. REFERENCES: Adams P-1130; VD16 P2578; Muller, Bibliographie Strasbourgeoise, Prüss 24; VD16 P 2578; Schmidt, Prüss 43; Chrisman, Strasbourg Imprints, H1.3.10. [Attributes: Hard Cover]