Dioscorides, Pedanius

Super-Chancery folio (313 x 212mm.), 135 leaves (of 136, without blank leaf π10), *⁶ α-ο⁸ π¹⁰, 40 lines plus headline, Greek type, 5- to 7-line initial spaces, eighteenth-century calf, spine gilt in compartments, binding slightly rubbed, rebacked retaining original spine

Paulus Terhaarius of Amsterdam (c. 1625/6-1667), inscription at foot of first leaf stating that he bought the book in Padua in 1653 (his library sold at auction in Amsterdam, 8 October 1667); Philip Yorke, second earl of Hardwicke (1720-1790), armorial bookplate; Frederick Bogumil Lorch (born 1909), morocco booklabel; IRA Bailey, inscription dated 1981

Goff D260; HC 6257; BMC v 560; Bod-inc D-103; BSB-Ink D-183; GW 8435; Klebs 343.1; Renouard 21/4; Texas 28; UCLA 26 (all containing all three parts)

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."

EDITIO PRINCEPS OF DIOSCORIDES. This text was issued by Aldus together with two works by Nicander and the scholia on them, which are not present in this volume.

Dioscorides, while not quite of the same stature as Aristotle or the other Greek texts being printed by Aldus at this time, was an important text relating to Pliny's Historia naturalis, which was the subject of much academic infighting in the later fifteenth century. Niccolò Leoniceno, one of Aldus's editors and a practising physician, joined in the controversy; but rather than inveighing against the poor editing of the text for printed editions, Leoniceno held that many of the errors in the text were in fact Pliny's, in his misunderstanding of authors such as Dioscorides. Leoniceno's concern was that reliance on Pliny's text led to the misuse of medicines in a practical sense.