VARRO, Marcus Terentius

Lot 324
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2000 - 3000 EUR
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Result : 2 022EUR
VARRO, Marcus Terentius
Opera quae supersunt. In Lib. de Ling. Lat. coniectanea Iosephi Scaligeri. In lib. de Re Rust. Notae eiusdem. No place [Geneva], Henri Estienne, 1581. In-8 (172 x 104 mm) of 143 pp; 155pp, 38 ff.n.ch.; 48 pp, 2 ff.n.ch. (blanks); 77pp. 1 f.n.ch. (blank); 129 pp. 77pp. brown calf, triple gilt fillet in border, cipher interlaced at corners, central armorial piece (see OHR 472, iron without cipher), smooth spine decorated with 'à-la-fanfare' with gilt title and cipher, decoration on edges, gilt edges (Parisian binding of the time) Renouard, 148:2; Schreiber, 207; Adams, V-283; Guigard, II, 433. Second edition printed by Henri Estienne, but the first expurgated, without the famous verse imitation written by Antoine Muret. By deception, Muret had actually sent manuscripts supposedly written by the Latin poet Trabea to the historian Scaliger who fell for the trap and composed a scientific commentary which he published in the first edition given by Estienne of 1573. It contains the two major Works of Varro (116-27 B.C.), "one of the most extraordinary men who ever lived. He was undoubtedly the most erudite of all the Romans; but his erudition was not only cabinet erudition... One of the last defenders of ancient Roman mores, he had extended his research to all branches of science: language, religion, mores, law, political institutions, etc." (Grand Larousse). This edition contains his two major works, the De Lingua Latina, and the most important work on Roman agriculture De Re Rustica. "Revised edition. In this new edition Scaliger has suppressed Muret's forgery and his own commentary upon it" (Schreiber). Precious copy, having belonged to the great bibliophile Méry de Vic (died in 1622), President of the Parliament of Toulouse (1597), State Councillor, Intendant of Guyenne, and Keeper of the Seals of France (1621). Olivier Hermal-Rotton notes that "he was a great bibliophile who collected, among other works, 3000 volumes that belonged to Grolier; he left his collection to his son Dominique de Vic, archbishop of Auch". As indicated by Guigard, the gilt figure on the corners is slightly different from the one used on the centre of the boards. A fine copy, entirely ruled in red at the time, spine and corners skilfully restored.
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