Orosius Paulus

HISTORIOGRAPHICI CLARISSIMI OPUS PRESTANTISSIMUM

      Paris: Ioanne Petit, 1506. Impression Pharhisiis in Belloui su (i. Petit), the first edition of the new century. PetitOs woodcut device on title and numerous large initial letters. Small 4to, antique calf of a later date, decorated with panel designs in blind on the covers, spine with blind tooled designs. (18) 123 leaves. A very handsome and well preserved copy, the last leaf a bit frayed at margins, some minor stains as would be expected, some rather pleasing early notations, collated complete, quite a bright and attractive copy.. British Museum Catalogue of French Books p. 331 gives the editor as L. Thibault (Ledovici Thisboust). The great bibliographer, Dr. Francisco Leite de Faria in his famous OEstudos Bibliographicos saber Damias de Gois e a Sua Epoca, OLisbon 1977, refers to only 3 copies known: National Library of Lisbon, British Museum (also lacking the final blank leaf) and the Library of the Trinity College (Cambridge). The author of this book Paulus Orosius, was born in Peraga, Portugal in the last part of the fourth century and his work was published for the first time in Augsburg in 1471. This edition is the first of the 1500Os. The text of the book is a kind of universal history and was very famous in old times.