Estienne, Henri (1531-1598).

5 volumes, folio (373 x 238mm.), 20, xxpp., [4], xxiiii, 1946 col., [2 (blank)] pp.; [2]pp., 1592 col., [2 (blank)] pp., 1593-1700 col., [2 (blank)] pp.; 1793 col., [1]p.; [2]pp., 834 col., [1]p.; 32, 17-228 col. [2 (blank)] pp., 229-1746 col., [3 (blank)] pp., 212col., [2 (blank)] pp., illustration: woodcut device on first title-page, initial letter at beginning of each section enclosed within a woodcut cartouche, woodcut initials and head-pieces, binding: eighteenth-century speckled calf gilt, occasional early manuscript notes in margins, some worming in first 4 leaves of volume 5 with partial loss of 20 lines of text, long tear in inner margin of 4Y1 (volume 4), a few other short tears in margins, occasional light spotting, bindings slightly rubbed

Adams S1791 (undated issue); Schreiber 182; Renouard, Estienne p.135; PMM 62 note

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

first edition of Henri Estienne's Greek dictionary, a monument of classical scholarship, which continued to be published into the nineteenth century. Henri had begun work on this dictionary with his father, Robert, who had published a Dictionarium seu latinae linguae thesaurus in 1531, but completed the project alone after Robert's death in 1559. He also printed it at his own expense; in 1569 he issued a publisher's catalogue (Epistola de suae typographiae statu. Index librorum...), with an open letter about the current state of his printing firm and in particular the projected Thesaurus graecae linguae.

There is a dated issue of this work, with the date on the title-page of the first volume, and with a variant collation toward the end of the same volume (Adams S1790). Estienne published a companion volume, Glossaria duo, in 1573, which is sometimes found bound with the present work.