£400 - £600
Appianus, Alexandria
Romanorumm... ex Bibliotheca Regia.
Paris: Typis Regis, cura ac deligentia Caroli Stephani 1551.
11 fine foliated and grotesque Greek initials and correspondingly 11 large head-piece woodcuts by Geoffroy Tory, basilisk device of king's printer on title, printed entirely in Greek. Folio. 393pp. [1]f. Condition: Minor damp stain at top margin of first few leaves, otherwise a fresh, clean copy. 3/4 polished calf with marbled boards and red morocco label on spine by Grant & Son of Edinburgh, with their ticket. 340mm x 230mm.
Editio Princeps. Appian's histories covered the various Roman wars from the earliest times to the accession of Vespasian (A.D. 70). "This volume is generally cited as the supreme example of the use of the Royal Greek types; it is in fact the first classical text printed in all three sizes of the Grecs du Roi " (Schreiber). The Grecs du Roi were commissioned by Francis I through Robert Estienne and designed by Claude Garamont. "The superb decorations and initials by Tory... are wonderful in their accord with the colour of the Greek text, in their printable qualities and in their grace of design" (Updike)
Robert Estienne started the edition by using two manuscripts from the library of the king of France, when leaving Paris his brother Charles took over and saw the work through the press.
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