Balbus, Joannes [Giovanni Balbi]

Catholicon

      [Bonetus Locatelius for Octavianus Scotus,] [Venice:]: [Bonetus Locatelius for Octavianus Scotus,], [1495, 20 November.]. Contemp. blind-stamped calf over wood boards, brass hasps present but lacks clasps; rebacked (after Goldwater sale) with some leather losses; bookplates of Walter Goldwater (d. 1985, bookdealer and incunable collector), Ronald F. Homer (art historian); signature of Charles Levi Woodbury (1820-1898), American lawyer; first 5 leaves with minor marginal worming (some text just touched); Title leaf has lower half rplaced (no text loss); first two folios on stubs; G2 & 7 misbound; last leaf missing and replaced in 17th/18th c. ms with later printed colophon pasted at foot of verso; leaf of French ms at end discusses Pierre Anton Creveuna Sale of Amsterdam 1793: lots 3094-5 T3, p33. Folio. 305 x 205mm.. Woodcut historiated initials. Joannes Balbus of Genoa (d.1298), Dominican monk, completed his 'Summa grammaticalis que vocatur Catholicon' March 7, 1286. The first printed dictionary, it was a work on the Latin Language which gave extensive grammatical, orthographic, metrical, etymological, and rhetorical explications. It was the first reference volume and apparently the second book printed c1460, after the Bible, which amply demonstrates its importance and was widely circulated. It was the fore-runner of the modern encyclopedia as well. It is also the first work "to achieve complete alphabetization (from the first to the last letter of each word)." [Oxford Hist. of English Lexicography, 2009) Goff B33 ; Hain 2264* ; Polain(B) 463 ; IDL 619 ; IGI 1163 ; IBE 694 ; IBP 5799 ; Mendes 148 ; Madsen 494 ; G!nt(L) 3389 ; Ohly-Sack 357 ; Finger 127 ; Oates 1985, 1986 ; Bod-inc B-017 ; Sheppard 4218 ; Proctor 5063 ; BMC V 445 ; BSB-Ink B-19 ; GW 3201. ISTC ib00033000. This copy was in the Goldwater Sale: Swann Dec. 1,1983,lot 56.