Eustathius

4 volumes in 3 (index volume bound before volume 2), folio (308 x 205mm.), ruled in red, woodcut printer's device on 3 title-pages, woodcut diagrams, woodcut armorials at start of index, with blank leaves ςς8, ττ1, +6, 34/6 οοοo6 and ΒΒΒ4, French red morocco gilt (most likely by Derome, but without ticket), gilt edges, blue silk page markers, inscriptions washed from title-pages, quire βββ misbound, volumes 2-3 cut close at head, volume 2 lightly browned, Υ6 torn and repaired

Library of St Germain des Prés, Paris, stamp on title-page; J.S. Holmes, bookplate; "Payne & Foss 1850", inscription on flyleaf; William Edward Buckley (1818-1892), with a note by him about the book loosely inserted in volume 2, his sale, Sotheby's, 16 April 1894, lot 1798, £5, to Ridler; £9-9-0, price in pencil on flyleaf; William O'Brien, bequest booklabel dated 1899; library stamp on title-pages

Censimento 16 CNCE 18394; Mortimer, Harvard Italian 176

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."

A fine copy of Eustathius's collection of earlier commentators on Homer, compiled in the twelfth century, which demonstrates Eustathius's wide reading and the availability of such texts in the Byzantine empire at the time; many of the works he quotes from and some variant readings are otherwise lost. Eustathius's autograph manuscript survives, in the Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana in Florence. Volumes 1-2 cover the Iliad, volume 3 the Odyssey, and volume 4 is an extensive index; it is considered that the commentary on the Iliad is more significant, perhaps because it is twice the size of that on the Odyssey. Antonio Blado includes Homer's text in his edition, even though the commentaries were not designed to need the accompanying text.