Statius (Publius Papinius)

Orthographia et flexus dictionum [.]; Sylvarum libri quinque, Thebaidos libri duodecim, Achilleidos duo.

      [Venice]: in aedibus Aldi. , 1502 - FIRST ALDINE EDITION, Aldine device at end of ‘Orthographia’, lightly washed leaving just a few faint spots, a library punch-stamp to first leaf unobtrusively repaired, ff. [296], 8vo., modern dark brown calf, boards panelled in blind, backstrip with five raised bands, red morocco label in second compartment, a.e.g., very good The first Aldine edition of the poems of Statius, complete with the section of Greek-Latin glossary titled ‘Orthographia’ which according to Renouard is sometimes missing (though Adams treats it as a separate work). It is here bound before the text of the poems. This is the first post-incunable edition of Statius, following a number of printings of his shorter poems ni the 1470s and three printings of his works in the 1480-90s. Statius’s works comprise the ‘Thebaid’, the outstanding Silver Age epic, about the battle at Thebes between Eteocles and Polyneices, the ‘Silvae’, a collection of shorter miscellaneous poems, and portions of the ‘Achilleid’, an unfinished epic about Achilles. Moss calls this edition ‘rare and in some request among the curious’. This copy was formerly in the John Crerar Library, established by the American industrialist, now part of the University of Chicago; the library limited its collections to science and medicine early in the 20th century. (Adams S1683, 1670; Goldsmid 49; Dibdin II 423; Moss II 612; Renouard p. 35 #7) [Attributes: First Edition; Hard Cover]