Plinius Caecilius Secundus, Historiae naturalis libri decem, [Lyon, Baldazare de Gabiano?], 31 August 1510, late seventeenth-century French polished mottled brown calf for Longepierre

Plinius Caecilius Secundus, Gaius. C. Plinii Secundi Veronensis Historiae naturalis libri decem et septem primi voluminis ab Alexandro Benedicto Ve. physico emendatiores redditi [part 2:] C. Plinii Secundi Veronensis Historiae naturalis libri decem et octo secundi voluminis ab Alexandro Benedicto Ve. physico emendatiores redditi. [Lyon: Baldazare de Gabiano?], 31 August 1510

Likely printed by Balthasar de Gabiano, each volume features an ornamental escutcheon at the beginning. These are accompanied by a cipher that apparently consists of the letters in the word "France."

Two volumes bound in four, 8vo (158 x 90 mm). Italic type, 32 lines plus headline. collation: (Vol. I) aaa-ccc⁸ ddd⁴ a-z⁸ aa-zz^{8 2}aaa-iii⁸: 468 leaves; (Vol. II) aaa-bbb⁸ A-Z⁸ AA-ZZ⁸ AAA⁸ BBB⁴ CCC-FFF⁸ GGG⁴ ($3): 432 leaves. Illuminated titles, rubricated in red and blue, early marginalia (Vol. I title reinforced, instances of dampstaining, browning, and foxing, notes washed from some margins.)

binding: Late seventeenth-century French polished mottled brown calf for Longepierre (165 x 100 mm), covers with triple gilt fillets joined by rosettes at corners, golden fleece at corners and center, spines with raised bands in six compartments, second and third with gilt-lettered morocco labels, others with triple gilt fillets containing a golden fleece, edges marbled and gilt, inner dentelles gilt, marbled endleaves (Quaritch, Gen. Cat., 1887, assigns bindings to Du Seuil or Padeloup). (Restoration to spines and corners.)

provenance: La Patrière, family library (Tours), illuminated armorial insignia on both title-pages, accompanied by a complex monogram — inscription "A. du Bonesq" on final leaf of the first volume — Hilaire-Bernard Requeleyne, baron de Longepierre (1659-1731), supralibros — Roger Portalis, Bernard de Requeleyne, baron de Longepierre (1659-1721) (Paris 1905), p.190 — Cardinal Louis-Antoine de Noailles (1651-1729) — Adrien-Maurice de Noailles (1678-1766) — Charles Spencer, 5^th Earl of Sunderland (1706-1758); Sunderland, Blenheim Palace library (Woodstock, Oxfordshire), ex libris, shelfmarks; his sale, Puttick & Simpson London, 1 December 1881-31 March 1883, lot 9917 — Bernard Quaritch, London, purchased in previous sale (£10 10s); Catalogue 349 (London 1883), item 13115 (£21) — Alfred Piat (1826-1896) — Paul Chevallier, Édouard Bartaumieux, and Charles Porquet, with Émile Paul et Fils et Guillemin, Bibliothèque de feu M. Alfred Piat. Première partie, Paris, 31 January-5 February 1898, lot 150 — Georges Heilbrun, Catalogue 28 (Paris 1967), item 79 (FF 3500); Catalogue 45 (Paris 1976), item 27. acquisition: Purchased from Georges Heilbrun, Paris, 1976. references: UCLA 1140; Renouard 310/34; FB 83222; USTC 143620 / 762739; Baudrier, VII, 24-25; Edit16 59182; Shaw 33