Terentius, [Opera], Venice, Aldus, 1517, later calf, Lord Carrington's copy

Terentius Afer, Publius

[Opera]. (Venice: in the house of Aldus and Andrea Torresani, November 1517)

8vo (156 x 90mm.), woodcut Aldine device on title-page and final verso (otherwise blank), italic text, later calf with border tooled in gilt and blind, blue silk endleaves, gilt-tooled turn-ins, spine cracked and repaired

First Aldine edition (of a total of 17 Aldine editions, up to 1594) of the plays of Terence. This is the first Aldine to contain a preface by Gian Francesco Torresani, son of Andrea, which heralds the start of his management of the workshop. The preface is addressed to Jean Grolier, here Latinised to "Glorierius".

LITERATURE:

Cataldi Palau 29; Edit16 48066 (listing 6 copies); Renouard 80/5 ("extrêmement rare")

PROVENANCE:

Lord Carrington, armorial bookplate (presumably Robert Smith, 1752-1838)