38. Urbanus (Bolzanius) Bellunensis

Institutiones Graecae grammaticae

Venice: Aldus Manutius, Romanus, January 1497 [i.e. 1497 or 1498] 'mense Ianuario'.

Description

Paper. [428] p. ; 210 x 155 mm (quarto). Greek and Roman type; woodcut capitals. F.1a: Title-page: INSTITVTIONES GRAECAE GRAMMATICES. Errata on last four pages (unlike Hain). Last leaves defective and repaired, effecting a few lines of text. F.212a Colophon: Venetiis in aedibus Aldi Manutii Romani. M.IIID. mense Ianuario...'

Binding

Rebacked calf with animals and Christ-like figure blind stamped on covers.

Printer

Aldus Manutius (14501515) was a Venetian printer. He was educated as a humanistic scholar and became tutor to several of the great ducal families, namely the Pio family. It was they who provided him with money to establish a printery in Venice in 1494/5. He devoted himself to publishing the Greek and Roman classics, in editions noted for their scrupulous accuracy; a five-volume set of the works of Aristotle, completed in 1498, is the most famous of his editions. He was especially interested in producing books of small format for scholars at low cost. He designed and cut the first complete font of the Greek alphabet and to save space in Latin texts he designed the italic type. He was ably assisted by the designer Francesco Griffi, also called Francesco da Bologna. Alduss books are called Aldine and most bear his mark: a dolphin and an anchor. A son, Paulus Manutius (151274), and a grandson, Aldus Manutius (154797), carried on the business.

Provenance

1. Book label of George Dunn of Woolley Hall near Maidenhead 2. Bookplate of Sigurd and Gudrun Wandel 3. Willi Fels, 1946 4. Otago University Library

Reference

HC 16098* = 2763*; BMC V 558; Goff U66; Kaplan 479; ISTC iu00066000

Illustrations

Title-page, 'Aldus Manutius Romanus...(f.2a)', beginning of text proper, with decorative initial (f.3a), front and back binding covers, colophon, provenance details on front endpapers.