THEOCRIT, HESIOD, and others.

One of the first editions produced by Aldus Manutius: editiones principes of many Greek texts by Theocrit, Hesiod and others, [Greek text] Haec insunt in hoc libro. Theocriti Eclogae triginta. Genus Theocriti & de inventione bucolicorum. Catonis Romani sententiae paraeneticae distichi. Sententiae septem sapientum. De invidia. Theognidis megarensis siculi sententiae elegiacae. Sententiae monostichi per capita ex variis poetis. Aurea carmina Pythagorae. Phocylidae poema admonitorium. Carmina Sibyllae erythraeae de Christo Iesu domino nostro. Differentia vocis. Hesiodi Theogonia. Eiusdem scutum Herculis. Eiusdem georgicon libri duo.

      Aldus Manutius, February 1495 (=1496)., Venice, - Folio. Modern red morocco, spine gilt in compartments with title lettered in gold, covers with ornamental gilt borders, on both covers blind tooled ornament in centre, red sprinkled edges. With 37 fine woodcut headpieces (2 by the famous Poliphilus master, and 39 woodcut 'bianchi-giari initials'. (140) lvs. Collation: 2A-2D8, 2E-2G6, 2Z2z10, 2A2a-2D2d8, 2E2e6, 2a-2b8, 2c10, 2d-2e8. The first very rare issue of the original and only edition of one of the first books produced by the famous printer/publisher Aldus Manutius. In fact this edition is the third book that left the Aldine presses in the year Aldus started his printing activities in Venice. Aldus began his professional career as a teacher, not as a printer, and as such saw a need for the publication of the Greek and Latin classical authors, whose works figured high in the Renaissance humanist agenda. While many of these works had been published by the end of the fifteenth century, a large number had not yet seen print. This lack was especially acute in the case of Greek authors, and when Aldus decided to begin a printing business these authors were the ones he emphasized. His development of greek and italic fonts and, somewhat later the octavo format, point toward a carefully planned program for the dissemination of the ancient classics.Under Aldus's program, works of numerous Greek and Latin authors, including the present collection of Greek poetical texts, were published for the first time, and works by others appeared in better editions than had previously been available. The 'editiones principes' in this collection include 12 of the Ecloques of Theocrit, Hesiod's Theogonia (or De generatione deorum) and selections from the Greek Gnomic poets. It is the most interesting of all Greek Aldus editions, containing a wide variety of linguistic forms and packed with mythological or moralizing passages, and as such of highly interest for the educationalist and the history of humanism in general and the beginning of the study of Greek language and literature in particular. In his nearly twenty years as a printer, Aldus labored tirelessly at the press and left to the world a rich legacy of beautiful books and scholarly texts. These books are still admired for their attractive typography, clean lines, and good design as well as their scholarly contributions. Through his publications, Aldus contributed to the survival of many ancient texts and greatly facilitated the diffusion of the values, enthusiasm, and scholarship of the Italian Renaissance across the rest of Europe. Aldus demonstrated to the printing world that scholarly books could be produced finely as well as profitably; and he convinced the scholarly world of the value of printing. Also the present collection was published with the express understanding that it would be used in the classroom. In his preface and dedication to Bapt. Guarino, the son of Guarino Veronese, who taught Aldus Greek in Ferrara, the printer writes: "Here, most illustrious master, is the Theogonia of Hesiod, which you ask me to provide for the public instruction of your pupils". The other most important editio princeps present in this edition is the publication for the first time of 12 of the Ecloques of Theocrit, based on a manuscript in the Vatican (MS Vat. Gr. 1311). The first 18 eclogues are published here after the edition Milan 1480. The present Aldus edition of the Eclogues was taken as the basis for the Juntina edition of 1516 and has as such influenced the history of the text transmission of Theocrit's eclogues until the present day. The most famous 17th-century editor of Theocrit for instance, Daniel Heinsius from Leiden, admired this Aldus edition very much.There are two issues of this edition of which the first is the most rare. The differences - which are in general not very important as regards content - occur in the quires ZF and ?G (p. 77-80 and 85-100), the most obvious being the four verses on f. ZF1r occupying two lines (2nd is [Attributes: Hard Cover]