GREEK ANTHOLOGY -- Anthologia Graeca Planudea , in Greek. \kAnuologia diaforvn epigrammatvn\K. The Byzantine monk Maximus Planudes' recension of 1299, edited by Janus Lascaris (1445-1535). Florence: Laurentius Francisci de Alopa, 11 August 1494. Median 4° (227 x 160mm). Collation: A-ς AA-KK 8 (A1r blank, A1v Greek alphabet and vowels, title and table of contents, A2r-KK8v text); [ΛΛ 8 ] (1r Lascaris' verse epilogue in Greek, 1v-7v editor's dedicatory letter to Piero de' Medici in Latin, 7v Latin colophon, 8 blank). 280 leaves. Types: 5a and 5b:114Gk (text) and 116R (dedication). 28 lines. Initial-spaces. Irregular line-endings. (One tiny wormhole at the beginning filled.) Gold-tooled blue hard-grain morocco, multiple-fillet border and corner rosettes on sides, spine decorated in compartments, gilt turn-ins, gilt edges, by Charles Lewis Provenance : Sold by Payne & Foss to Botfield for 18 gns. (Acquisitions p. 3). EDITIO PRINCEPS OF THE PLANUDEAN ANTHOLOGY. Under Emperor Constantine VII (912-59) Cephalas rearranged the anthologies of Meleager, Philippus and Agathias, and added others such as Straton's homosexual poems. It was Cephalas' Anthology that Planudes revised. His holograph manuscript is extant (Venice, Marc. gr. 481), but Lascaris, who thought that he was working on the 6th-century version of Agathias, used another manuscript. The Planudean Anthology was adopted by all subsequent editors until the earlier extant version of the poetic collection known as the Palatine Anthology was rediscovered and published several centuries later. VERY RARE IN COMPLETE CONDITION. The Botfield copy belongs to the first issue, including the editor's dedicatory letter. The last quire was suppressed from the second issue, no doubt because of Piero de' Medici's proscription and flight from Florence. Lascaris explains in his letter how unsatisfactory Greek typography was to reader and printer alike and how difficult it was for punch-cutters and typefounders to reproduce Greek script. So he proposed to go back to the capital letter forms found in antique inscriptions. The result was the two sizes of upper-case fount in which his Anthology is exclusively set. Three books only were printed by Lorenzo di Alopa by this method and to striking effect, all of which are included in this sale (see also lots 43 and 44). Breathings and accents were cast and set separately and the body of the smaller capitals with accents together match exactly that of the larger set. Two years later editor and printer were forced to introduce a true lower-case fount -- every bit as complicated as any predecessor condemned by Lascaris -- in order to set scholia (see lot 38). Proctor, Printing of Greek p. 78-79; Barker p. 39-42; Wilson p. 98-99. EXTREMELY FINE COPY OF LORENZO DI ALOPA'S FIRST GREEK PRODUCTION. HC *1145; GW 2048; BMC VI, 666 (IB. 28002-5); Goff (+ Suppl.) A-765; IGI 599; CIBN A-410; Rhodes, Annali 40; Rhodes, Oxford 104; Flodr, Anthologia 1. Botfield 185-92.
GREEK ANTHOLOGY -- Anthologia Graeca Planudea , in Greek. \kAnuologia diaforvn epigrammatvn\K. The Byzantine monk Maximus Planudes' recension of 1299, edited by Janus Lascaris (1445-1535). Florence: Laurentius Francisci de Alopa, 11 August 1494. Median 4° (227 x 160mm). Collation: A-ς AA-KK 8 (A1r blank, A1v Greek alphabet and vowels, title and table of contents, A2r-KK8v text); [ΛΛ 8 ] (1r Lascaris' verse epilogue in Greek, 1v-7v editor's dedicatory letter to Piero de' Medici in Latin, 7v Latin colophon, 8 blank). 280 leaves. Types: 5a and 5b:114Gk (text) and 116R (dedication). 28 lines. Initial-spaces. Irregular line-endings. (One tiny wormhole at the beginning filled.) Gold-tooled blue hard-grain morocco, multiple-fillet border and corner rosettes on sides, spine decorated in compartments, gilt turn-ins, gilt edges, by Charles Lewis Provenance : Sold by Payne & Foss to Botfield for 18 gns. (Acquisitions p. 3). EDITIO PRINCEPS OF THE PLANUDEAN ANTHOLOGY. Under Emperor Constantine VII (912-59) Cephalas rearranged the anthologies of Meleager, Philippus and Agathias, and added others such as Straton's homosexual poems. It was Cephalas' Anthology that Planudes revised. His holograph manuscript is extant (Venice, Marc. gr. 481), but Lascaris, who thought that he was working on the 6th-century version of Agathias, used another manuscript. The Planudean Anthology was adopted by all subsequent editors until the earlier extant version of the poetic collection known as the Palatine Anthology was rediscovered and published several centuries later. VERY RARE IN COMPLETE CONDITION. The Botfield copy belongs to the first issue, including the editor's dedicatory letter. The last quire was suppressed from the second issue, no doubt because of Piero de' Medici's proscription and flight from Florence. Lascaris explains in his letter how unsatisfactory Greek typography was to reader and printer alike and how difficult it was for punch-cutters and typefounders to reproduce Greek script. So he proposed to go back to the capital letter forms found in antique inscriptions. The result was the two sizes of upper-case fount in which his Anthology is exclusively set. Three books only were printed by Lorenzo di Alopa by this method and to striking effect, all of which are included in this sale (see also lots 43 and 44). Breathings and accents were cast and set separately and the body of the smaller capitals with accents together match exactly that of the larger set. Two years later editor and printer were forced to introduce a true lower-case fount -- every bit as complicated as any predecessor condemned by Lascaris -- in order to set scholia (see lot 38). Proctor, Printing of Greek p. 78-79; Barker p. 39-42; Wilson p. 98-99. EXTREMELY FINE COPY OF LORENZO DI ALOPA'S FIRST GREEK PRODUCTION. HC *1145; GW 2048; BMC VI, 666 (IB. 28002-5); Goff (+ Suppl.) A-765; IGI 599; CIBN A-410; Rhodes, Annali 40; Rhodes, Oxford 104; Flodr, Anthologia 1. Botfield 185-92.
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