De septem orbis spectaculis. Leonis Allatii. Opera. Nunc primium Grace et Latine prodit, cum Notis. BOUND WITH: De Aetate, Et Interstitiis in collatione Ordinum etiam apud Graecos. AND: De erroribus magnorum virorum in dicendo dissertatio rhetorica Gronovius's copy

Philo Byzantinus; Allatius, Leo (Allacci, Leone)

Edité par Mascardus (Haeredes Mascardi) 1635-1640, Rome, 1635

A propos de cet article

[viii], 112; [xvi], 224; [viii] 200 pp. Octavo, measuring 7"x5", in stiff vellum of the time with yapp edges. At the bottom of the first title page in a small neat hand "Iohannis Frederici Gonovii dono auctoris". Woodcut printer's devices on the 3 titles pages. The Philo text is in two columns, Greek and Latin, notes are in Latin. 1640 Editio Princeps of Philo Byzantinus's description of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Although whether Philo himself wrote them or not is disputed, there is no doubt that the author certainly visited the wonders. Allatius (1586-1669), the Keeper of the Vatican Library, found the manuscript, translating it and supplementing the missing sections of the manuscript from other sources in his "long and interesting commentary." The wonders described are: The Great Pyramids of Giza; the Hanging Gardens of Babylon; the Statue of Zeus at Olympia; the Temple of Artemis; the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Walls of Babylon. Interestingly, the author chose the walls of Babylon, rather than the now more standard Lighthouse of Alexandria. One scholar suggests that since Philo was the librarian at Alexandria that, to him, the Lighthouse was a daily sight and not a wonder. Whether Philo wrote it or not, this was the first known catalog of the Seven Wonders and this is the first printed edition of the work. The other two works contained (De Aetate 1635) and De erroribus (1638) -- both in Latin with extensive Greek -- were written by Allatius, a Greek scholar and theologian who converted to Catholicism, and who personally supervised the transport of 3500 manuscripts via a caravan of 200 mules across the Alps from Bavaria to the Vatican (almost all of the manuscripts still reside in the Vatican to this day). The De Aetate looks at the conferment of orders, with a nod to the Greek rites (Allatius was passionate about healing the schism between the east and west in the Church); and the second deals in rhetoric and in the errors of great men in their speech. There is a small note on the title page in the same hand as the Gronovius ex dono referencing p105 of Hensius's Hesiod, in which Hensius stresses the importance of expressing oneself unpretentiously, in both oratory and poetry and goes on to cite Euripides as the first poet who practised this in his plays. The book is in good condition. The vellum covers have normal age and soiling, the spine is worn and chipped with some of the vellum chipped away, the top one inch is gone revealing a band and an ancient manuscript fragment used to strengthen the binding, joints are cracking. Interior ex libris St. Mark's Library label, another small piece of vellum antiphonal showing. Paper has some normal foxing and age, there are some humidity marks in the De Aetate. There are also a few underlinings and marginalia in the Philo which also appear to be in Gronovius's hand. A very nice copy of this Editio Princeps, with lovely provenance. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall.

N° de réf. du vendeur 12952

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: De septem orbis spectaculis. Leonis Allatii. Opera. Nunc primium Grace et Latine prodit, cum Notis. BOUND WITH: De Aetate, Et Interstitiis in collatione Ordinum etiam apud Graecos. AND: De erroribus magnorum virorum in dicendo dissertatio rhetorica Gronovius's copy
• Éditeur: Mascardus (Haeredes Mascardi) 1635-1640, Rome
• Date de parution: 1635
• Reliure: Vellum
• Édition: First Edition.
• État de l'article: Good
• État de la jaquette: No Dust Jacket
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • Classics
  • History: Ancient
  • Incunable & Early Printed - 1600s
  • Language -- Latin