Aetius Amidenus, Biblion iatrikon tomos a, Venice, Aldus, 1534, near-contemporary French calf

Aetius Amidenus. Αετιου Αμιδηνου βιβλιων ιατρικων τομος α, τουτεστι βιβλια οκτω και πρωτα. Aetii Amideni librorum medicinalium tomus primus, primi scilicet libri octo nunc primum in lucem editi. (Venice: heirs of Aldo Manuzio and heirs of Andrea Torresano, September 1534) [bound with:]

Alexander Trallianus. Αλεχανδρου Τραλλιανου ιατρου βιβλια δυοκαιδεκα. Ραζη λογος περι λοιμικης απο της συρων διαλεκτου εξελληνισθεις. Alexander Tralliani medici lib. XII. Rhazae de pestilentia libellus ex Syrorum lingua in Graecam

translatus. Paris: Robert Estienne, (4 January) 1548

Editio princeps of the first half of Aetius's medical encyclopedia, the Tetrabiblon, arranged into four groups of four books, covering pharmacology, dietetics, pathology, ophthalmology and more. Little is known of the author, the sixth-century Byzantine physician best known in the Renaissance for his compilations of earlier writings. Although Aetius' originality was questioned by early readers, among them the Byzantine scholar Photius, this part of the Tetrabiblon contains original research on the treatment of aneurysm.

The privilege granted by Clement VII to Andrea Torresano and the heirs of Aldo in 1525, printed here on the verso of the preface, is signed by Benedetto Accolti, cardinal of Ravenna.

A copy of Aetius is recorded with an earlier and incomplete printing of quire v, with 8 leaves instead of 10 (Paul Potter, "The Aldine Aetius, two states", The Book Collector (2014), 153-154).

2 works in one volume (Aetius bound second), folio (306 x 203 mm). aetius: Greek type, 54 lines plus headline. collation: *⁴ a-t⁸ v¹⁰ x-y⁸: 182 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device on title-page and final verso (otherwise blank). Numerous annotations in Greek and Latin. alexander: Greek type, 41 lines plus headline. collation: *⁴ a-v⁶ x¹⁰ A-B⁶ C⁸: 154 leaves (*3 blank, lacking quire v). Woodcut Estienne device on title-page, woodcut initials and headpieces. (Inscription erased from head of title- page.)

binding: Late sixteenth-century French mottled calf (310 x 220 mm), oval leafy centerpiece gilt, rebacked to style with gilt stamps in compartments, plain edges, in a modern drop-backed box. (Binding somewhat rubbed with loss at edges, rebound somewhat tightly.)

provenance: Maggs Bros, catalogue 779, 1948, item 12. acquisition: Purchased from Nigel Phillips, Chilbolton, 2005. references: aetius: UCLA 274; Cataldi Palau 137; Edit16 418; Renouard 112/7; alexander: USTC 149923