Valerius Maximus, Dictorum et factorum memorabilium, Venice, Aldo Manuzio, 1502, contemporary Venetian brown morocco

Valerius Maximus. Dictorum et factorum memorabilium libri nouem. Venice: Aldo Manuzio, October 1502 [i.e. April 1503]

The second issue, containing an additional preface by Aldo (to Johannes Cuspinianus, or Spiesshammer) dated April 1503, relating to a manuscript found in Vienna which contained an additional 24 exempla lacking from earlier printed editions, the text of which Cuspinianus provided to Aldo.

8vo (158 x 96 mm). Italic type, 30 lines plus headline. collation: π⁴ A¹² B-Z⁸ aa-cc⁸: 216 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device on title-page and final recto, first leaf of text illuminated with initial with flowers and tendrils in margins, initials rubricated throughout in red and blue. (Occasional light foxing and staining, small wormholes to first two leaves, and last quire, the former affecting a few letters but not costing legibility.)

binding: Contemporary Venetian brown morocco (158 x 102 mm), gilt floral arabesque frame, in center a gilt arabesque ornament tête-bêche, "VAL*MAXIMI" in upper frame of lower cover, gilt and gauffered edges, traces of four pairs of ties. (Rebacked, lightly rubbed.)

provenance: Notre-Dame de Josaphat, Lèves (Chartres), Benedictine abbey, inscription on title-page (17^th century) — unidentified owner, inscription "MMM dix" on title-page — Sotheby's London, 28–30 August 1862, lot 665 ("large copy, the first page of the work ornamented with a most beautiful border of flowers painted on the margin, and the capital letter illuminated in brilliant colours on a deep gold ground work, old Italian morocco lettered on the side, edges gilt and gaufré, a pretty volume"); purchased by — George Bumstead, London (£2 13s) — Cecil Dunn-Gardner, inscription recording acquisition of the book at Sotheby's, August 1862 — Sotheby's London, 21–26 June 1880, lot 1610 — Osborne Charles Vyse Aldis (b. 1843), inscription on title — Anderson Auction Company, New York, 7-10 March 1911, lot 13 ("original brown morocco, gilt gauffred edges (skilfully rebacked) … A beautiful copy in the original aldine binding, with large compartments of gold interlaced knotwork on the sides. The initial letters throughout have been painted in by hand in red and the first page of the prologue has a beautiful illuminated initial letter and border in gold and colors by a contemporary hand.") — unidentified owner, small purple inkstamp "H.E.". acquisition: Purchased from John Fleming, New York, 1970. references: UCLA 71; Renouard 36/10; Edit16 36147; USTC 861752