Aristotle | The fine Doheny set of Aldo's editio princeps, Venice, 1495–1498

Aristotle

Opera [Greek]. Contains also works of Galenus (II); Philo Judaeus (II); Theophrastus (II-IV); Alexander Aphrodisaeus (IV). Venice: Aldus Manutius, 1495–1498 [the five volumes dated dated: I) 1 November 1495; II) February 1497; III) 29 January 1497; IV) 1 June 1497; V) June 1498]

5 volumes in 6 (volume 4 bound in 2), Super-Chancery folio (305 [vol. 1] or 310 [vols. 2–6] x 200 mm). Greek types with Roman, 30 lines plus headline (no headlines in vol. 1), woodcut floral and interlaced headpieces and Greek initials, woodcut diagram in vol. 1 (I1r). Collation: (Please note: vol. I has quires conventionally signed according to the Roman alphabet; vols. 2–5 were signed by a complex mixture of Roman and Greek letters; for ease of reference, in the following collation the quires for vols. 2–5 are numbered): Vol. 1 (Organon): A–K⁸ L–N⁶ a–c⁸ d–e⁶ f–q⁸ r–s⁶: 234 leaves; s6r colophon. — Vol. 2 (Natural Philosophy, part I): 1–4⁸ 5–15⁸ 16–30⁸ 31⁶ 32–37⁸ 38⁶: 300 leaves; 38/6r colophon. — Vol. 3 (Natural Philosophy, part II): 1–10¹⁰ (cancel-strip mounted on 10/10v containing last line and catchword) 11–39¹⁰ 40¹⁰ (+10* signed PP, printed on recto, verso blank, uncancelled blank conjugate follows PP10) 41–45¹⁰ 46⁸ 47⁸: 468 leaves (47/8 blank); 47/7v colophon. — Vol. 4 (Natural Philosophy, part III, bound in 2 vols.): 1² 2–28⁸ 29¹⁰ 30–41⁸ 42–43¹⁰ 44–47⁸ 48¹⁰ 49–50⁶ 51–64⁸ 65¹⁰: 520 leaves (vols. divided after fo. 228); 65/10r colophon. — Vol. 5 (Ethics, Economics, and Politics): 1–9¹⁰ 10⁴ 11–21¹⁰ 22⁶ 23¹² 24–26¹⁰ 27⁶ 28–33¹⁰ 34¹²: 330 leaves; 34/12r colophon. Seeming flaw on e5v (vol. I) is an original paper overlay, very occasional light foxing to margins.

Eighteenth-century French green straightgrain morocco gilt, covers with a gilt French fillet border with tiny rosettes at the corners, spines gilt in six compartments, lettered in the second and third, the others densely gilt with a semé of stars within compartments formed by repeated ranks of small curvilinear rules, purple silk linings, turn-ins gilt with foliate roll, endpapers, gilt edges, pink silk ribbon-markers; slightest hint of the most minor rubbing.