XENOPHON
Xenophontis philosiphi et historici clarissimi opera…
Basel, apud Isingrinum, 1551.£6,750.00
8vo.2 vols. pp. [22] 820, 450. Italic letter, little roman. Printer’s device to t-p, figurative woodcut initials and printed marginalia throughout. Index of memorable historical events and errata preceding text in vol. I, ms. religious dedication to verso ffep. in vol. II. Very light age yellowing, repaired marginal worming to first few leaves of both vols, some marginal staining, repairs to a few gutters. Good, clean copies in most handsome 16th C Italian, probably Roman, deep red morocco, double gilt rules with fleurons to corners of inner frame, gilt emblematic tool of a foot shaped sprouting branch gripped by a hand, author’s name and volume no. lettered in gold above, raised bands, some worming to spine, a.e.g, lacks ties. C19 bookplate of Alfredo Tiburzi to front pastedown.
A very attractive pair of finely bound copies of the work of Ancient Greek historian Xenophon (430-350BC). It is a Latin translation of the famed ‘Basel edition’, published by Sebastian Castalio (1515-1563) while he was a professor of Greek there, for which he used the corrected editions of Junta with the help of mss. as its basis.
The charming contemporary bindings feature an abstract emblem, a hand holding a sprouting branch, which bears a striking resemblance to the ‘dextrocherium’ motif, a hand holding a spray of flowers, symbolising wisdom and learning. ‘Like many other motifs of book decoration, it may have perhaps originated as a personal device of some […] royal personage and then become a more or less generally used decorative tool, without any particular implication of ownership, or other significance, like the dolphin, the spot of ermine, the Burgundian briquet or the portcullis in England.’ (Goldschmidt p.295) Michael Isengrin’s palm tree device also shares a horticultural theme; he joined the guild of gardeners in 1530, before starting to print alongside his stepfather in 1531. His work predominantly focused on the classical authors such as Arsitotle, Xenophon, Isocrates, Galen and Plutarch.
Xenophon was not only a polymath and writer, crafting works of history, philosophy and autobiography, but he was also a soldier. Little is known of his life before 401BC, but he participated in the rebellion of Cyrus the Younger against the Persian King Artaxerxes II, as a paid Greek mercenary. His most famous work, the ‘Anabasis’, recounts his personal journey back to Greece, along with his Greek comrades, following Cyrus’ defeat at Cunaxa.
USTC: 606417; Dibdin II : p.566; Brunet V: 1489; Not in Adams or Graesse.In stock
