Estienne, Henri

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Lot n° 304
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Estienne, Henri
Thesauraus Graecae linguae [Graece.] [Geneva], Henri Estienne, 1572. 5 volumes in 4 folio volumes (343 x 214 mm) of 20, XX pp, XXIV col, 1946 col, (last blank removed by the binder) for vol. I; XII col, 1700 col. (with blank leaves between col. 1592/93) for vol. II; 1793 col. for vol. III; false-title and 834 col. for vol. IV; 1766 col. (wrongly numbered 1746: the numbering of columns 17-32 and 969-972 has been repeated); 212 col. (the blank leaves after the respective columns 228, 1746, 212 have been removed by the binder) for vol. V. Ivory vellum, spine with gilt title and tomaison, red edges (18th century binding). Renouard, Estienne, 135:3; Schreiber, 181; see PMM 62. First edition. It was on this edition that Henri Estienne's reputation was built - it was also this publication that ruined the great printer and humanist. "Henri Estienne's magnum opus, the publication of which marked the great event of his career, as well as a high point in the annals of European scholarship. It also proved Henri Estienne's financial ruin. The plan for this monumental work was conceived by Robert Estienne, who wished to do for Greek what he had done for Latin with his Latinae Linguae Thesaurus; this Greek Thesaurus too was a pioneering work, following the scientific principle of arranging words not in traditional, strict alphabetical order, but rather grouping them according to their etymological roots" (Schreiber). "The great event of Henri's life, his most important publication, and rightly recognized as the most useful of all those which we owe to his long literary and typographical work, is this Thesaurus Graece Linguae" (Renouard). "Finally, in the mid-1550s, Robert Estienne turned to a Greek companion piece of the Thesaurus [Latinae Linguae]. His chief collaborator was his son Henri, who, after his father's death, eventually brought it under his own imprint as Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (Geneva 1572). Even more than with the Thesaurus Latinus, there has to this day been no substitute for the Thesauraus Graecus" (PMM). Small traces of moisture at the beginning of volume IV otherwise a very good copy. Provenance: Collège des Carmélites de Rennes (old inscription on the titles).
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