Nicander Colophonius, Theriaca, Venice, Heirs of Aldo Manuzio & Andrea Torresano, April 1523, early nineteenth-century French blue straight-grained morocco

Nicander Colophonius. Nicandri Theriaca Eiusdem Alexipharmaca. Interpretatio innominati authoris in Theriaca. Commentarii diuersorum authorum in Alexipharmaca. Expositio ponderum, mensurarum, signorum, & characterum [Greek and Latin]. Venice: Heirs of Aldo Manuzio & Andrea Torresano, November 1522 and April 1523

First edition. These two poetic treatises, Theriaca and Alexipharmaca, "are concerned with toxicological subjects. Scholars have shown that Nicander based them on the work of the Greek physician Apollodorus (fl. 250 BC) from whom he borrowed quite freely.

"Since only fragments of Apollodorus's work now exist, Nicander's two books are important sources for studying Greek toxicology and pharmacology" (Eimas, p. 5).

4to (202 x 125 mm). Greek type, 34 lines plus headline. collation: a-c⁸ d² e-l⁸ m¹⁰ (d2 a blank): 92 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device to title-page and final verso, ruled in red in the nineteenth century, early marginalia. (Worming to title and final leaves neatly repaired, marginalia washed, a few stray spots.)

binding: French blue straight-grained morocco (210 x 135 mm), early nineteenth-century, covers bordered in gilt dot and leaf patterns, flat spine with false bands in seven compartments, second and fifth gilt-lettered, edges with gilt rolls, light green endpapers. (Extremities rubbed, front free endpapers nearly detached, joints starting.)

provenance: Copious early marginal annotations in Latin and Greek, washed but still legible — inkstamp "J.A.P." ? on title- page — Dimitrij Petrovich Boutourlin (1763-1829), armorial ex libris, lettered — Étienne Audin de Rians, Catalogue de la Bibliothèque de son Exc. M. Le Comte D. Boutourlin (Florence 1831), "Collection Aldine," p. 5, no. 128 — Commandeur and Louis-Catherine Silvestre, Catalogue de la bibliothèque de feu M. le comte D. Boutourlin. Deuxième partie (Paris, 16 November-17 December 1840), "Collection Aldine," p. 206, lot 130 — Ernest-Louis Desnos (1852-1925), ex libris — Georges Heilbrun, Catalogue 15 (Paris [1959]), item 163 (FF 20,000); Georges Heilbrun, Catalogue 37 (Paris [1972]), item 244 (FF 1000). acquisition: Purchased from Georges Heilbrun, Paris, 1972. references: UCLA 219; Renouard 95/7; Edit16 37678; USTC 844516