Paolini, Stefano.

4to (209 x 152mm.), [8], 128, [48]pp., illustration: woodcut device on title-page, woodcut initials, head- and tail-pieces, binding: eighteenth-century mottled calf gilt 

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."

Either this work or the Alphabetum Ibericum, also printed by the Propaganda Press in 1629 (see lot 4307), is the first book printed in georgian. Stefano Paolini composed this dictionary with the help of the Georgian ambassador to Rome and Spain, Nicipore Irubakidze, for the use of Catholic missionaries, who first went to Georgia in 1628. The dictionary contains three columns: the first with words in Georgian, the second with Italian transliterations, the third with Italian translations. The first Georgian grammar was written by Francesco-Maria Maggio and published in 1643.

Paolini worked as a printer in Rome between 1598 and 1640, first for the Typographia Savariana, and then from 1627 for the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide, as well as on his own account (see lot 4469 for a book printed by him with Syriac type).