Aristotle, [Works in Greek], Venice, Aldus, 1551-1553, 6 volumes, contemporary French limp vellum

Aristotle. Αριστοτελους πασαν λογικην, ρητορικην, και ποιητικην πραγματειαν περιεχων τομος Α. Aristotelis omnem logicam, rhetoricam, et poeticam disciplinam continens, tomus I. Venice: sons of Aldus (for Federico Torresano, 1551)-1553

Second edition of the complete works of Aristotle and Theophrastus in Greek, printed by the sons of Aldo on commission for their uncle Federico Torresano, using the Greek font which was still in their possession. The text was edited by Giovanni Battista Camozzi.

This set, in a fine uniform vellum gilt binding, was only reunited recently. It is plausible that the first five volumes were in the library of Richard Heber, though neither his library stamp nor his signature are present, accompanied by a smaller and unruled copy of the final volume.

6 volumes, 8vo (170 x 113 mm). Greek type, 32 lines plus headline. collation: (1) *¹⁰ a-z⁸ aa-dd⁸ ee⁴ ff-uu⁸: 350 leaves, woodcut Aldine device on title-page and final verso, woodcut diagram on h5v; (2) *⁸ Α-Ω⁸ α-γ⁸ δ⁶: 230 leaves, woodcut Aldine device on title-page and final verso (otherwise blank), Ε8v slightly misprinted on verso; (3) *-**⁸ AAA-ZZZ⁸ aaa-zzz⁸ AAa-MMm⁸: 480 leaves, woodcut Aldine device on title-page and final verso. (Lower corner of eee8 excised.); (4) **⁸ AAAA-ZZZZ⁸ aaaa-pppp⁸: 312 leaves (*8 blank), woodcut Aldine device on title-page and final verso. (Lower corner of llll7 excised.); (5) *⁸ _**⁴ AA-ZZ⁸ aa-rr⁸ ss⁴: 336 leaves (_**4 blank), woodcut Aldine device on title-page and final verso; (6) **⁸ Aα-Zψ AAαα-SSσσ⁸: 336 leaves (*8 and SSσσ8 blank), woodcut Aldine device on title-page and final verso. All volumes ruled in red throughout, woodcut initials, a few annotations in Greek. 

binding: Uniform later sixteenth-century French limp vellum (176 x 121 mm), gilt arabesque centerpiece, flat spines gilt, gilt edges, fore-edge flaps, some deckle edges. (Bindings slightly soiled, in particularly the final volume, fore-edge flaps darkened.)

provenance: [Vols. 1-5] possibly Richard Heber, who owned a set in limp vellum (sale, 23 March-14 April 1835, lot 83), though his sixth volume was smaller and not ruled in red — [vol.6] Franklin T. Richards (1847-1905), signature dated 1902. acquisition: [Vols. 1-5] Purchased from John Fleming, New York, 1974 — [Vol.6] Purchased from William Salloch, Ossining NY, 1974. references: UCLA 410, 411, 439, 424, 422, 425; Cataldi Palau 181, 183, 182; Edit16 2936; Renouard 150/5