Plinius Caecilius Secundus, Naturalis historiae, Venice, Heirs of Aldo Manuzio & Heirs of Andrea Torresano, 1535-1538, Parisian brown calf, ca. 1570

Plinius Caecilius Secundus, Gaius. Naturalis historiae prima [-tertia pars; Index in C. Plinii Nat. hist. libros locupletior, et castigatior]. Venice: Heirs of Aldo Manuzio & Heirs of Andrea Torresano, 1535-1538

[Bound with:] C. Plinii Secundi Naturalis historiae secunda pars. Venice: Heirs of Aldo Manuzio & Heirs of Andrea Torresano, 1535

[And:] C. Plinii Secundi Naturalis historiae tertia pars. Venice: Heirs of Aldo Manuzio & Heirs of Andrea Torresano, 1535 [1536]

[And:] Index in C. Plinii Nat. hist. libros locupletior, et castigatior, quam qui hactenus impressi sunt. Addidimus loca quaedam ex ueterum exemplarium fide emendata: quae a nemine hactenus animaduersa errant. Venice: [Heirs of Aldo Manuzio & Heirs of Andrea Torresano], 1538

Renouard's copy of the Aldine edition of Pliny's The Natural History, with the rare index volume.

Four parts in four volumes (153 x 98 mm to 164 x 98 mm). Vol. I-III: Italic and Roman type, 30 lines plus headline. Vol. I collation: A-F⁸ a-z^{8 2}A-P⁸ Q⁴ (lacking ²Q4, a blank): 355 (of 356) leaves. Vol. II collation: aa-zz⁸ AA-PP⁸: 304 leaves. Vol. III collation: aaa-zzz⁸ AAA-OOO⁸: 296 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device on title-pages and final versos. Vol. IV: Roman type, 44 lines plus headline, text printed in two columns. Vol. IV collation: A-Z⁸ AA-GG⁸ HH¹² (lacking HH12, a blank): 251 (of 252) leaves. Woodcut Aldine device on title-page and verso of HH9. (Repair to lower margin of C2 of Vol. I, long closed tear to GGG8 of Vol. III neatly repaired, scattered spotting, staining, browning, and foxing.)

binding: Parisian brown calf (159 x 107 mm to 170 x 106 mm), ca. 1570, covers with borders of two gilt fillets with rosettes at corners, central oval gilt arabesque, flat spines richly gilt, all edges gilt. (Upper cover of Vol. I nearly detached, other hinges cracked, extremities rubbed with minor loss, index volume shorter than others.)

provenance: Early inscription "Pierre" or "Piezzey" on lower pastedown of each volume — Charles de Brosses, comte de Tournay, baron de Montfalcon (1709-1777), armorial ex libris — Louis-Nicolas Frantin, Catalogue des livres de feu Mr. de Brosses, premier Président du Parlement de Dijon, Dijon, 22 February 1779, p. 26 — Antoine-Augustin Renouard (1765- 1853), inscription "Ant. Aug. Renouard 1790" to title of Vol. III; inventory number "no.1613+" to endleaf of each volume; Catalogue de la bibliothèque d’un amateur avec notes bibliographiques, critiques, et littéraires (Paris 1819), I, p. 244 — Samuel Butler (1774-1839), Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry; his sale, Christie's London, 1-10 June 1840, lot 1508 — CharlesButler (1821-1910); his sale, Sotheby's London, 5-12 April 1911, lot 905 — Hatchards, London, purchased in previous sale (£3 15s) — Charles W. Clark (1871-1933), The Library of Charles W. Clark (San Francisco 1914), I, p. 98 — Rosenbach Company, Philadelphia. acquisition: Purchased from John Fleming, New York, 1976. references: (1) UCLA 280; Renouard 114/4; Edit16 27236; USTC 849931; (2) UCLA 280; Renouard 115/1; Edit16 27236; USTC 849931; (3) UCLA 280; Renouard 115/2; Edit16 27236; USTC 849931; (4) UCLA 1034; Renouard 116/1; Edit16 27236; USTC 849931