Thesaurus, Thesaurus cornucopiae, Venice, Aldo Manuzio, 1496, early twentieth-century retrospective mottled calf

THESAURUS. Thesaurus cornucopiae. et horti Adonidis [Greek and Latin]. Venice: Aldo Manuzio, August 1496

The Charles W. Clark copy of this collection of tracts selected from the works of some thirty-four ancient grammarians, listed on the verso of fol. *10, including Aelius Dionysius, Pausanias, Athenaeus, Apollonius, Herodian and John of Alexander ("Johannes Grammaticus"). Thesaurus cornucopiae is one of three major grammatical works that Aldo printed at this time, the other two being the grammars of Urbanus Bellunensis and Johannes Crastonus.

In his preface, Aldo wrote of the history of his press and the difficulties of his work: "Since I took up this wearisome activity (now in its seventh year) I can swear to you that I have not had in so many years a single hour of undisturbed rest." According to this, Aldo had set up his press some five years before he printed his first book in 1494.

Super-Chancery folio (310 x 205 mm.) Greek type, with some Roman, 30 lines plus headline. Collation: *¹⁰ aα–iι⁸ Kκ–Lλ⁸ mμ–zψ⁸ &ω⁴ AΑ–DΔ⁸ EΕ⁶ FΖ–GΗ⁸ HΘ⁶ IΙ⁸ KΚ⁶ LΛ⁸: 280 leaves. Two- to five-line initial spaces with guide letters. (Title- and final page soiled, very faint dampstain at lower margin of first half, but withal unusually fresh and crisp.)

Binding: Early twentieth-century mottled calf (322 x 224 mm) in sixteenth-century style, panelled in blind with floral and Greek key rolls, inner panel with three gilt arabesques at top and bottom, central cartouche with four of the same arabesques arranged as a quatrefoil, extraordinarily well-rebacked with spine in six compartments, ruled with blind fillets, gilt-lettered in second (title) and sixth (date), plain endpapers and edges. (Extremities a little rubbed.)

Provenance: Unidentified owner, early inscription on title-page (obliterated) — Charles W. Clark (1871–1933); The Library of Charles W. Clark (San Francisco 1914), I, p. 132 — Rosenbach Company, Philadelphia. Acquisition: Purchased from John Fleming, New York, 1972. References: UCLA 8; Aldo Manuzio tipografo 9; Goff T158; GW 7571; ISTC it00158000; Renouard 9/1