October 8, 2009
A MAGNIFICENT LARGE COPY OF ALDUS’ 1524 HOMER
IN AN EXTREMELY RARE UNRESTORED, CONTEMPORARY 16th CENTURY VENETIAN GOATSKIN BINDING
The Book:
HOMER (8th century B.C.). Odyssey in Greek.Odysseia. Batrachomyomachia. Hymnoi = Vlyssea. Batrachomyomachia. Hymni. XXXII.[Venetiis : in Aedibvs Aldi, et Andreae Asvlani Soceri, M.D.XXIIII. mense Aprili] Printer’s device on the title page; verso of the final leaf. Imprint from the colophon. Spaces with guide letters for the capitals. 8vo., 251 [1] leaves ; 17 cm, a LARGE COPY with 164 mm sheets, small inner gutter wormhole, not affecting text (visible when fully opening book) running from 139-166, light dampstain to lower margin of last few leaves. Last appearance of the second Aldine Anchor device. Magnificent Contemporary Blind and gold-tooled brown goatskin binding, boards detached and unrestored, some worming to boards near hinges, but overall very good. Internally, generally a clean, complete and very good copy. As Aldine editions of Homer were considered great and coveted classics by bibliophiles, copies were almost invariably cut and rebound in the 18th and 19th centuries in handsome calf or morocco. Copies in 16th century contemporary bindings are very sought after,
