Justinus, Marcus Junianus

4to (264 x 183mm.), 123 leaves (of 124, without final blank), [a-g¹⁰; h-l¹⁰ m⁸ n⁶], 32 lines, roman type, 3- to 5-line initial spaces, eighteenth-century red morocco gilt, washed at start with loss of early annotations, a few small wormholes at end, joints cracked

Earl of Sunderland, removed from Blenheim Palace, without bookplate but old shelfmark on flyleaf, sale, Puttick and Simpson, July 1882, lot 6996, £2-4s, to Quaritch; Sir Edward Sullivan (without his bookplate), his sale, Sotheby's, 31 May 1890, lot 3575, £1-1s, to Rimell; William O'Brien, bequest bookplate dated 1899

Goff J616; HC 9649; BMC vi 711; Bod-inc J-293; GW M15623; Grosjean & O'Connell 74

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."

This is the earliest Milan imprint in O'Brien's collection. Printing in Milan began in 1471, with Pamfilo Castaldi, for whom Zarotus worked as foreman, and Zarotus was active as a printer in Milan from 1471 until the end of the fifteenth century. Marco Roma's involvement in the financial backing and editorial work of Zarotus's press was discovered through notarial documents (A. Ganda, "Marco Roma, sconosciuto editore dei prototipografi milanesi", La Bibliofilia, n.2, 1980, 97-129, where this book is number 5 in the appendix; the article contains a reproduction of Roma's printed "Lista de libri stanpiti" of 1477, which includes "Justino").

RARE: we have not been able to trace any recent sale records for this edition. ISTC lists 26 copies, including the present one. This is at least the fourth edition of this text.