Estienne, Henri

Lot 295
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5000 - 8000 EUR
Estienne, Henri
Anthologia [Graece]. Florilegium diversorum epigramamtum veterum. [Geneva], Henri Estienne, 1566. In-4 (247 x 148 mm) of 2 ff.n.ch., 545 pp. (misquoted 539; pagination 283-288 repeated), 17 ff.n.ch.; red morocco, double gilt fillet framing the boards, central coat of arms of Jean-François-Paul Le Fèvre de Caumartin (OHR, 652, iron no. 4), spine gilt, edges gilt on marble (17th century French binding). Renouard, 126:4; Schreiber, 159; Adams, A-1187. First edition with the important annotations and corrections given by Henri Estienne, "typographer of the Fuggers" as indicated on the title page. "Henri Estienne's important edition of the Greek Anthology, which provided a much better text than any of its predecessors. For this edition Henri devised a system of diacritical marks 'peculiar to himself' (notae sibi peculiares) to denote various classes of proper nouns: e.g. persons and famous animals, nations and cities, mountains, and bodies of water; he also employs in the margins the symbol of the hand with pointing finger to call attention to gnomic expressions in the text - this was already used in the 1557 Aeschylus. The volume contains 154 pages of Annotationes by Estienne, who, in the course of these, gives a Latin translation of one epigram, and then provides 50 different alternate versions of the last distich! In this preface the to the reader Henri claims that he performed this poetic tour de force in order to kindle the interest of young readers" (Schreiber). Important provenance. This beautiful volume comes from the library of Jean-François-Paul le Fèvre de Caumartin (1668-1732). He began his education at the abbey of Bouzai (diocese of Nantes) at the age of 7 following the resignation of his godfather, Cardinal de Retz. Dean of the cathedral of Tours, elected member of the French Academy on May 8, 1694, he was named honorary associate of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres in 1701. His important library of more than 9000 books and manuscripts was dispersed after his death. A very fine copy, with minor old restorations in the blank of the title.
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