[Opera. 3 volumes] … — Venice 1515-1516

[Opera. 3 volumes]. — Venice, Aldus Manutius, 1515/1533, 1516.

8vo (155 x 93 mm). Binding: 159 x 98 mm. 19th century brown morocco, collector’s binding. Aldus‘ device on each cover, spine and edges gilt, blue endpapers,  joints rubbed. Upper half of the upper joint of vol. I (Heroidum epistolae …) splitted. 

Adams O-430 (vol. I), P-2238 (vol. II), O-482 (vol. III); Ahmanson-Murphy 133/230, 141, 142; Edit16 47168. 

Volume I (Heroidum epistolae …)

Colophon: Venetijs in aedibus Aldi, et Andreae soceri mense Maio. M. D. XV.

Aa-Bb8 aa-hh8 ii4 kk8 pp4 qq-yy8 zz8 AA4: (16), 172, (8) ff.: (15) leaves (lacking blank Bb8), 172, (8) leaves.

Ahmanson-Murphy 133/230 – last two quires of A.-M. 133: zz4 AA10, of A.-M. 230: zz8 AA4. 

Device: Fletcher 9.

While volumes II and III correspond to the information provided by Ahmanson-Murphy and Adams, volume I differs from it. The copy of volume I seems to be a compilation of the May 1515 edition and the 1533 edition by Paulus Manutius (Ahmanson-Murphy 230).

1.) The title page is of the 1533 edition.

2.) The dedication letter by Andrea d’Asola, the notes on Ovid by Aldus, the privileges of Popes Leo X, Julius II are in the 1515 Alexander VII are in the 1515 edition; the privileges are omitted in the 1533 edition.

3.) Leaf pp4 without foliation like in the 1533 edition (A.-M. 133: pp4 blank except foliation „112“).

4.) Text of register and colophon like A.-M. 133 (but note that the digital copy of the Österreichische Nationalblbiothek (ÖNB) shows the register and colophon on AA8v, the device on AA9v, and AA10 is a blank – this makes more sense for a quire of 10 leaves (quinternio) than the information of A.-M. 133, which has register and colophon on AA7v, the device on AA8v).

5.) Our copy ends with the responsiones of Sabinus on AA4r and register and colophon on AA4v. The 1533 edition ends with the rest of Sabinus‘ responsiones and register and colophon on AA4r.

6.) Aa2r-Bb7v are in the 1515 issue; Aa2r-Bb7v in the 1533 edition have a new setting: 

three examples: 

1515Aa2r… Bernar [do]

1533Aa2r… Bernar- [do]

1515Aa4r, line 3: … praepone-

1533… praeponere

1515Aa8r, line 4:… de arte tū

1533… de arte tum

7.) To make the bibliographical description more complicate, we mention that Edit16 47168 has the device „sui front.“ only, whereas volumes 2 and 3 have it also „in fine“. Above we saw that the ÖNB copy has the device also „in fine“. 

 

It seems that our 19th century collector had problems to find a complete copy of the 1515 edition. To have a complete set of all three volumes, he had to complete his copy of the 1515 edition with parts of the 1533 edition.

Things were much easier to him with volumes II (Cla. Ptolemaei … Fastorum libri VI, January 1516) and III (Annotationes … Metamorphoseon libri XV, February 1516).

Volume II

π-ππ8 πππ6 aaa-kkk8 lll6 mmm-sss8 ttt6 uuu-xxx8 AAA-EEE8 FFF4 (lll6 blank): (22), 246 leaves. Devices: Fletcher 2a on title, Flether 5 on FFF4v. Ahmanson-Murphy 141.

Volume III

π-ππππππ8 a-z8 A-B8 C4: (48), 204 leaves. Devices: Fletcher 2a on title, Fletcher 5 on a1r and C4v. Ahmanson-Murphy 142.

Collation of vol. I (Heroidum epistolae …)

Aa-Bb8 aa-hh8 ii4 kk8 pp4 qq-yy8 zz8 AA4: (15) leaves (lacking blank Bb8), 172, (8) leaves.

Aa1r title-page. Aa1v blank

Aa2r-Aa3v letter from Andrea Torresani to Bernardo Dovizi

(Prefatory letter by Andrea Torresani to Bernardo Dovizi, the first prefatory letter by Andrea Torresani after Aldus‘ death on 6th February 1515, and an important document of Andrea’s reaction on the death of his son-in-law, and of Aldus‘ work. I quote a few lines from Cataldi-Palau, p. 52): „Andrea d’Asola expressed his feelings for the first time since Aldo’s death in a preface appended to the new edition of Ovid’s Heroides … New editions generally retain the old prefaces; at most, one finds a few accompanying lines written by the work’s editor, but the volume containing Ovid’s work is an exception; evidently, the Aldina printing house felt the need to inform readers of the difficulties the workshop was experiencing, and at the same time, Andrea d’Asola wished to take the opportunity to reassure them regarding the printing house’s continued existence. Although the publication of Ovid’s works was due to Andrea Navagero, the dedicatory letter was written by Aandrea d’Asola.

This was the first message to readers from the head of the Aldine Press following the death of its founder. Aldo’s natural successor stated quite plainly that he was unable to take on his son-in-law’s role in running the press and had little inclination to do so; at the same time, he assured readers that he would do whatever was necessary to continue printing in the manner established by Aldo.

This preface confirms the influence Aldo had exerted over the printing house and the void left by his passing. He had been responsible both for selecting the authors to be printed and for obtaining the manuscripts of the chosen texts and editing them, and Andrea d’Asooa, with humility, declared that he did not feel capable of replacing such a scholar in any way, perhaps exaggerating his own ignorance … 

Andrea feared that he would be betraying Aldo if he refused to carry on with the printing business, and that he would be judged presumptuous if he did continue; nevertheless, he preferred the latter option to dishonouring his son-in-law’s memory. He stated that he would, therefore, follow his example; Aldo, despite being highly educated, always sought advice from others; Andrea would do the same, calling on other scholars for help where he himself was unable to manage …“)

Aa4r-Bb3v bibliographical notes on Ovid

Bb4r-Bb5r privilege from Pope Leo X

Bbvv-Bb6v privilege from Pope Juilus II

Bb7r-Bb7v privilege from Pope Alexander VI

Bb8 blank. Lacking in our copy.

aa1r-pp3v Heroidum epistolae

kk1r-pp3v Armorum liber

pp4 blank

qq1r-uu8r De arte amandi

uu8v blank

xx1r-yy6v De remedio amoris

yy7r-yy8v De medicamine faciei

yy8v-zz3v Nux

zz3v-zz4r Somnium

zz4v-zz5r Pulex

zz5r-zz6r Philomela

zz6v-AA4r Sabini epistolae (Ulysses Penelope, Demophoon Phyllidi, Paris Oenone) 

AA4v register and colophon