Strabo, Peri geographias, Venice, Heirs of Aldo Manuzio & Andrea Torresano, 1516, eighteenth-century brown calf

Strabo. Strabon Peri geographias. Strabo De situ orbis [Greek and Latin]. Venice: Heirs of Aldo Manuzio & Andrea Torresano, November 1516

Editio princeps of Strabo's Geography. The Woodhull-Stuart-Ranshaw copy. Scarce; we have traced two copies at auction in the past 20 years.

Written in Rome during the reign of Tiberius, this work of Strabo's describes the earth and its peoples, including recent events and conquests but also incorporating some historical details (he had previously written a work of history). Strabo became known in western Europe only in the mid fifteenth century, including through the Latin translation by Guarino da Verona; as a result Strabo's notion that India could be reached by travelling round the world to the west was put into practice by Christopher Columbus (D. Dueck, Strabo of Amasia, a Greek man of letters in Augustan Rome, 2014, p.153).

This edition was begun by Marcus Musurus but completed by Benedictus Tyrrhenus (Benedetto Tirreno) after Musurus left for Rome in October 1516. Tirreno’s dedication to Alberto Pio, Prince of Carpi, sought to reinforce Carpi’s ties to the Aldine Press following the death of Aldo in 1515. The dedicatory epistle also includes a eulogy of Aldo.

Folio (310 x 212 mm). Greek type, 54 lines plus headline. collation: π8 2π6 aα-zψ8: 198 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device on title-page and final verso, headpieces, initial and titles to each book printed in red. (Small hole towards gutter of title, minor dampstaining to earlier quires and last few leaves, some annotations washed.)

binding: Eighteenth-century brown calf, two gilt fillets around sides, red morocco label, title in ink on fore-edge. (Rebacked, with some restoration to corners.)

provenance: Unidentified owner(s), inscription "Avril (?) Ao MDI 3820 aets\le? 140" on title-page (washed), with "t.b." under Aldine device, with many early annotations in Greek and Latin (some washed out) — possibly James Lea, Rector of Crowmarsh-Gifford (1750-1770), master of the Public Grammar-School in Newport, Shropshire (1760); or possibly Dr Wilkinson Blanshard, physician to St George's Hospital (d. 1770) — possibly Thomas Payne A catalogue of a large and curious collection of books, being the libraries of a person of quality; the Rev. Mr. Lea; and of Dr Wilkinson Blanshard, Fellow of the College of Physicians (London 1770), item 6761 — Michael Wodhull (1740-1816), his purchase inscription "Payne’s sale, pr. £4/4, June 30, 1770" — Sotheby's London, 11-21 January 1886, lot 2434; purchased by — Sir Charles James Stuart, 2^nd Bt. (1824-1901), ex libris — Sir Edward Andrew Stuart, 3^rd Bt. (1832-1903); his sale, Sotheby's London, 29-30 June 1903, lot 553; purchased by — William Ridler, London — Robert Ranshaw (1836-1924), ex libris (dated 1903) — Edith Mary Ranshaw (1871-1942); her sale, Sotheby's London, 9 February 1943, lot 5. acquisition: Purchased from Scribner Book Store, New York, 1968. references: UCLA 149; Renouard 77/7; Edit16 37553; USTC 857595