Maioli, Epiphyllides, Venice, Aldo, 1497, English green straight-grained morocco by Charles Lewis, the Spencer family copy

Maiolo, Lorenzo. Epiphyllides in dialecticis. Add: De conversione propositionum secundum peripateticos. Averroes: Quaestio in librum Analyticorum priorum Aristotelis (Tr: Helias Cretensis Hebraeus). (Venice: Aldo Manuzio, July 1497)

First edition of the two works by Maiolo (d. 1509), a scholar of Greek who practiced medicine throughout Italy: Padua, Pavia, Ferrara, and Genoa. In his preface to Maiolo's work, Aldo states that he had originally refused to print so unpolished a piece, "elega[n]tia minime exornata." He presumably gave in, perhaps feeling some debt for Maiolo's contribution to his edition of Aristotle. Rare: the Anglo-American auction records cite only two other copies at auction.

"The present copy has hardly its equal—and cannot have its superior—in size and condition. It was obtained of M. Stoger, bookseller, of Munich; and has been recently very beautifully bound in green morocco, by C. Lewis" (Dibdin, Aedes Althorpianae I, p. 310)."

Super-Chancery 4to (212 x 156 mm). Roman types, 33 lines plus headline. collation: A⁴ b-f⁸ g^{10 2}a-i⁸ A-D⁸: 158 leaves (g10 blank). 3- to 8-line initial spaces with guide-letters. (Single small wormhole in the first five leaves of text, repaired on title- page, tiny wormtrail in lower margin of final four leaves, small hole repaired on D8 affecting two letters, small repair to fore- margin of ²d2 and D8.)

binding: English green straight-grained morocco (217 x 165 mm) by Charles Lewis (1786–1836, shop continued by widow until 1854), covers with border of two gilt fillets with two leaf tools at corners, central gilt Aldine anchor and dolphin gilt-lettered ALDVS, spine with semi-raised bands in six compartments, gilt-lettered in second through fifth, head and foot of spine gilt with fillets and small leaf tools, brown-coated endpapers, gilt edges.

provenance: Unidentified owner, early inscription washed from title — Maximilian Josef Stöger, or his son Franz Xaver Stöger, booksellers in Munich — George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer (1758-1834), accession number 18538 — Spencer, family library (Althorp), morocco label — John Poyntz Spencer (1835-1910), 5th Earl Spencer; the library sold in 1892 to — Enriqueta Rylands (1843-1908), for the John Rylands Library, bookplate — John Rylands Library, Manchester, inaugurated in 1899, small red library stamp on verso of title-page, withdrawn label on rear free endpaper; sale of duplicates, Sotheby’s London, 14 April 1988, lot 54 (£8,800). acquisition: : Purchased at the Rylands sale via Martin Breslauer Inc. references: UCLA 13; Aldo Manuzio tipografo 14; BMC V 557 (IA 24443); Goff M83; GW M20060; ISTC im00083000; Renouard 14/8-10