Aristotle, De natura animalium, [Lyon, Gabiano, 1506?], contemporary tooled morocco

Aristotle. Habentur hoc volumine haec Theodoro Gaza interprete. Aristotelis de natura animalium. lib. ix. Eiusdem de partibus animalium. lib. iiii. Eiusdem de generatione animalium. lib. v. [Lyon: Baldazare de Gabiano? 1506?]

The first of three Lyon octavo editions of Gaza’s Latin translations of Aristotle, Theophrastus, and Alexander of Aphrodisia (see lots 147-150), the texts copied from Aldo’s edition of 1504 (lot 145). The first volume contains the three Aristotle tractates, and the chapter analyses, but not the Greek-Latin and Latin-Greek word lists, as no Greek font was available. The edition marks a new stage in the Lyon octavo publication series. Earlier volumes had been directly copied from Aldo’s italic-type octavos of Latin classical authors, Dante, and Petrarca. In this case, an Aldine roman-type folio was reconfigured as a quasi-Aldine italic-type octavo.

The knotwork centerpiece stamp is also found on a copy of the Lyon counterfeit edition of Catullus (lot 269).

8vo (166 x 100 mm). Italic type, 32 lines plus headline. collation: π¹²; a-z⁸ aa-ss⁸: 340 leaves, foliated. (Occasional light browning, wormholes in last few leaves with slight loss.)

binding: Contemporary Italian blind-tooled morocco over thin wooden boards (170 x 107 mm), outer border composed of a leafy tool, repeated small knotwork tool in center with small flower stamps at corners, two clasps, gilt edges, later title lettering along fore-edge. (Binding rubbed with a few areas of loss, lacking both straps, spine slightly defective and repaired, edges rubbed.)

acquisition: Purchased from H.P. Kraus, New York, 1963. references: D.J. Shaw, "The Lyons counterfeit of Aldus's italic type", in The Italian Book 1465-1800 (1993), appendix, no.21; Renouard 308/19; UCLA 1128 (both volumes); USTC 143034