Horatius, Quintus Flaccus (65-8 BC). Opera. Satyrarum libri duo; Epistolarum libri duo. Lugduni: Joann Tornaesium, 1561. Quarto.
The first edition of this important early critical edition of Horace’s works which marks “a new era” of typography (Dibdin). Printed by Tournes during the mature phase of his career, this edition uses different typefaces with varying sizes and fonts including an elegant Greek type.
Astrid Quillien in her doctoral thesis remarked on this edition as being the first scholarly commentary on Horace’s works published in France and further commented that “[it] testifies to Denis Lambin’s philological expertise. Lambin, who became a royal reader after the initial publication of his work, demonstrates his perfect mastery of Latin and Greek languages and authors, as well as his personal approach to the poet, informed by his erudite reading.”
Bound in a seventeenth-century Cambridge panelled binding, both volumes of Horace’s work are preserved in their entirety. Rare. The USTC records no copies held in Polish institutions.
Provenance
Contemporary marginalia in places, sporadic
“Ex libris Petris Voulett”
Adolph Goldschmidt, circa eighteenth-century inscription with a shelf reference mark and further ink notes.
Modern French bookplate to upper pastedown of Fabian Gruhier
Seventeenth-century English panelled calf, possibly later (French?) double-fillet gilt borders. Rebacked with some board edge repairs. Binding secure. Earlier title label preserved inside front cover. Later pastedowns and flyleaves, but preserving earlier blanks. Preserved in a handsome modern slipcase with green velvet interior.
Two parts bound into one. Several ink inscriptions to blanks, title leaf and sporadically through the texts of varying date. Collates as complete, including the S2 and ZZ6 blanks, often wanting. Text blocks toned, unevenly trimmed, just touching the headlines to a few leaves at the end of the second part, not causing any loss of sense, the margins are generally well preserved throughout, some stains to ZZ3-4 in the final index, else largely clean throughout.
