Sallustius Crispus, Gaius

Chancery folio (299 x 192mm.), 52 leaves, a⁸ b-g⁶ h⁸, 35 lines, roman type, later 8-line initial on a2 in gold on a green ground, arms of the ?Loredano family at foot within a laurel wreath, 2- to 8-line initials in red or blue, initial blank filled with contemporary manuscript notes in Latin about the early history of the city of Rome in a fine humanist hand, numerous contemporary annotations in humanist hands including corrections to the text, eighteenth-century mottled calf, gilt fillet border, spine gilt in compartments, red edges, initial blank slightly soiled and with small tear, occasional staining (particularly at end), binding rubbed and slightly scraped, joints starting to crack

?Loredan family of Venice, arms at foot of a2 (though with the colours incorrect); Earl of Jersey, Osterley Park bookplate, sale, Sotheby's, 13 May 1885, lot 1535, stating the arms are those of Loredano; William O'Brien, bequest booklabel dated 1899

Goff S68; HC 14211; BMC v 321; BSB-Ink S-39; Bod-inc S-024; GW M39621; Grosjean & O'Connell 99

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 reprint of the 1480 Venice edition. Baptista de Tortis was active from October 1481 into the sixteenth century; this is one of his earliest books.

The notes on the initial blank mention Antiochus of Syracuse, a historian from the fifth century BC who wrote a work on the colonisation of Italy, now only known from fragments. The wide margins of this book show considerable evidence of study by a contemporary scholar (or scholars).