Sophocles, Tragodiai, Venice, Aldo Manuzio, 1502, contemporary Venetian russet goatskin, alla greca over grooved wooden boards

Sophocles. Sophocleous Tragodiai hepta metexegeseon [Greek]. Sophoclis Tragaediae septem cum commentariis. Venice: Aldo Manuzio, August 1502

A spectacular copy, with distinguished provenance, of the editio princeps of Sophocles—Ajax, Electra, Oedipus tyrannus, Antigone, Oedipus coloneus, Trachiniae, and Philoctetes— and the first of Aldo's Greek texts to appear in his new octavo format. "The type used in this publication is the fourth and smallest Aldine greek font, a miracle of microscopic typefounding; it is likely based on Aldus's own handwriting" (Grolier/Aldus). Francesco Griffo, Aldo's typecutter, left Aldo's employ later in the year of publication, and no new fonts were cut after this. This is also the first book in which Aldo's Greek Academy is mentioned, in both the preface and the colophon: "in Aldi Romani Academia."

As mentioned in Aldus Manutius: A Legacy More Lasting the Bronze, the alla greca binding style was usually reserved for larger folios.

 8vo (163 x 100 mm). Greek type, with some Roman and italic, 30 lines plus headline. collation: α–γ⁸ δ⁴ ε–η⁸ θ⁴ ι–λ⁸ μ⁴ ν–σ⁸ τ¹⁰ υ–φ⁸ χ¹⁰ ψ–ω⁸ αα⁸ ββ⁴: 196 leaves (δ4, θ4, and χ10 blank). Woodcut Aldine device on ββ4v, section-titles, four-line initial spaces with guide letters. (Some scattered mostly marginal foxing, minor light dampstaining at front and back, mostly confined to inner margins, tiny marginal wormholes to final three leaves.)

binding: Contemporary Venetian russet goatskin(163 x 103 mm), alla greca, wooden boards, edges cut flush and grooved, raised headcaps, panelled in blind, outer frame of repeated knotwork tool, center panel within frame of repeated arabesque containing two vertical floral strips, raised headbands, smooth spine diapered in blind, without endpapers, plain edges. (Two clasps lacking, spine with some sympathetic restoration.) Brown buckram folding-case.

provenance: D. Paulus Levantus, Genoa — Ludovicus de Lehman, Augsburg, inscription at foot of title-page — Baron Horace de Landau (1824–1903), bookplate with inkstamped inventory number 4144 — Eugénie Finaly (1850–1938) — Martin Breslauer, London — John Roland Abbey (1894–1969), morocco label, supralibros on folding-case; Sotheby's London, 21–23 June 1965, lot 625; purchased by — Georges Heilbrun, Paris (£625); Heilbrun, Catalogue 26 (Paris, [1966]), item 280 (FF 16,000) — Bernard Malle (1929–2008). acquisition: Purchased from Martin Breslauer Inc., New York, 1980. references: UCLA 60; Adams S1438; Aldo Manuzio tipografo 62; Edit16 36139; Grolier/Aldus 36 (this copy), 37; Renouard 34/6; USTC 857020; for the binding: De Marinis, La Legatura artistica in Italia nei secoli XV e XVI (Florence, 1960), no. 2826