EURIPIDES.

Tragoediae.

      - Venice; Aldus, 1503. 2 volumes 8vo. [268]; [189] unnumbered ff. Greek letter, Aldine dolphin device to versos of last, frequent Latin and Greek marginalia in several contemporary hands, leaves numbered at head, both occasionally cropped. A fine, clean copy in striking late 18th-C red morocco gilt with border of scrolling acanthus leaves and corner ornaments, inner dentelles gilt, spines richly gilt, green and navy morocco lettering pieces. 19th C Comb-patterned marbled endpapers, marbled edges. Armorial bookplates of the library of the Earl of Macclesfield on front pastedown, Shirburn castle blindstamps to first few ll. EDITIO PRINCEPS of eighteen Euripidean plays (in spite of the t-p, which mentions only 17), including 'Rhesus,' sometimes attributed to Sophocles, including in a ms note at the start of vol. 2, but more often considered as being a later, spurious, addition to the corpus. All the tragedies with the exception of 'Electra' are present, as well as the satyr play 'Cyclops.' All but four of the plays are here published for the first time. "It would seem from the preface that only 1000 copies were printed" (Dibdin), making it a set of particular rarity as well as beauty. The marginalia offer alternative readings, cross-references to other authors and translations of complex phrases. The text of the first volume is preceded by a sheet of manuscript with notes in Latin, Italian and Greek with relevant page numbers, in the same hand as did the numbering. The attractive bindings of this set date from the late 18th-C Classical revival, due to the rigid geometry of the designs on the spine, and the acanthus roll. BM STC It. 239. Dibdin I 524 "frequently found in an imperfect or indifferent condition". Adams E 1030. Renouard 43/10 "première et rare édition d'Euripide".