Fine incunabula edition of Aristotle's zoology

ARISTOTELES [ARISTOTLE].

De animalibus. Translated by Theodorus Gaza. / Parva naturalia In hoc volumine haec Aristotelis opuscula continentur. Cum accuratissimis ac luculentissimis expositionibus diui Thomae Aquinatis, nec non Petri de Aluernia.

Venice: Bartholomaeus de Zanis for Octavianus Scotus, 1498.

4th Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #002722

I. De animalibus. Translated by Theodorus Gaza. Venice: Bartholomaeus de Zanis for Octavianus Scotus, 9. August 1498. [6], 89, [1] leaves. Signatures: a-q⁶ (a1r title, a2r table and preface, q5v colophon and printer's device, q6 blank). 62 lines, type 2:802R. Numerous white-on-black historiated and decorative woodcut initials, woodcut printer's device at end. [Bound before]: II. ARISTOTELES. Parva naturalia In hoc volumine haec Aristotelis opuscula continentur. Cum accuratissimis ac luculentissimis expositionibus diui Thomae Aquinatis, nec non Petri de Aluernia. Venice: Octavius Scotus, 1551. [4], 103 leaves. Signatures: [ast]⁴ A-Q⁶ R⁸ (-R8), without the final blank leaf R8. Printed in two columns, with 2 woodcut printer's devices and several figural woodcut initials, 4 leaves misbound (bifolios D1^6 and C3^4 interchanged). Chancery folio (290 x 207 mm). Bound in original 16th century limp vellum, spine ink lettered in contemporary hand (covers somewhat wrinkled, shriveled and spotted, endpapers wormed at joints). Internally quite crisp and clean, first work with faint dampstaining to blank fore-margin, title-leaf slightly brown-stained and with two smaller holes (outside printed area) backed by paper from blank verso, some smaller wormholes towards the end, some ink marginalia in neat contemporary hand (shaved in places), top margin trimmed closed but not touching headlines. Second work with light mildew stains in upper corner of first 8 leaves, old paper repairs of tear at gutter in about first third of gatherings obscuring a few marginals. Two fine and scarce editions of Aristotle in one volume, collated complete except from one missing blank in second work. ----

I. Wellcome I, 427; Hain-C. 1703; Klebs 85.4; Pellechet 1208; Proctor 5341; BMC V, 433; GKW 2353; Goff A 976. Walsh 2264; Sparrow 11, Grolier/Medicine 2A and Norman 69 (1st ed). - I. FOURTH AND FINAL INCUNABULA EDITION of Theodorus Gaza's translation of Aristotle's zoological works. "Historia animalium is an immense collection of biological data - anatomical, physiological, behavioral - on over five hundred species of animals. Aristotle's interest lay in identifying and classifying groups of animals and in explaining their functioning as a part of nature, and it was the data reported in Historia animalium that provided the basis for his philosophical analyses of relationships between structure, function, and purpose. In De partibus animalium he explored these 'links of causation' in the various groups of animals. In De generatione animalium he dealt with the principles of animal generation, including organs and secretions, gave a detailed account of generation in the different groups of animals, answered various questions connected with generation, and finally gave an explanation of development after birth and of the differences between individuals of the same species" (Grolier Medicine).
II. Very rare Scotus-edition, Index Aureliensis records only on copy, with the commentaries by Thomas Aquinas and Petrus de Alvernia. The Parva Naturalia (little treatises on nature) are a collection of seven works by Aristotle, which discuss natural phenomena involving the body and the soul. They form parts of Aristotle's biology. The individual works are: De sensu & sensato, De memoria & reminiscentia, De somno & vigilia, Ultimo opus de causis ex libro Proculi, De motibus animalium, De longitudine & brevitate vitae, De inventute & senectute, De respiratione & inspiratione, De morte & vita.

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