[Franklin, Benjamin]. Cicero, Marcus Tulius

Cicero's Cato Major, or His Discourse of Old-Age with Explanatory Notes. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, 1744



4to (7 3/4 x 5 3/8 in.; 199 x 135 mm). Title-page printed in red and black; several seamless repairs to title-page, a few neat repairs to upper right corners in quires )( and A, minor marginal wormholes and tracks, light scattered foxing and spotting affecting a few leaves. Modern brown morocco gilt by Riviere, the spine tooled and lettered gilt in 6 compartments, ruled dentelles, plain endpapers, edges gilt.  

John Fleming (purchased from his library 18 September 1968) — Abel Berland (sale, Christie's New York, 9 October 2001, lot 218)

Church 949; Evans 5361; Hildeburn 868; Miller 347; Norman 484; Sabin 13040

First edition, second state (with "only" spelled correctly on page 27), large paper copy, imposed in quarto on fine Genoese paper watermarked with three circles. Prepared by the American scientist James Logan, Cato major was the first translation of a classical work in America.  This work is widely regarded as the finest typographical product from Franklin's press.