Milestones of Science Books

OBSEQUENS, Julius.

De' prodigii. Polidoro Vergilio de' prodigii lib. III. Per Damiano Maraffi, fatti Toscani.

Lyon: J. de Tournes, 1554.

1st Edition. Hardcover. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Very Good. Item #002855

8vo (153 x 105 mm). 340, [18] pp., without the final blank leaf Z4. Title with fine arabesque woodcut border, woodcut portrait of translator on title verso, some woodcut initials and 44 woodcut illustrations in text. Bound in 18th century calf, spine with 4 raised bands richly gilt in compartments and with gilt-lettered morocco label, marbled endpapers, red-dyed edges, upper margin of text block trimmed close, spine ends damaged, hinges split but cords holding, extremities rubbed, corners worn. Internally little browned, faint dampstaining to lower margin of some gatherings. Still very good copy. ----

Mortimer 388; Durling 3381; Cartier, de Tournes 281; Adams O 10. - THE RARE FIRST ITALIAN EDITION of Obsequens' work on omens and supernatural events, first published in 1508 at the end of Aldine's edition of Pliny's Epistolae and here translated by Damiano Maraffi, whose portrait is printed on the title verso. The illustrations depict various abnormal animals and humans, landscapes, destroyed cities, meteorite falls, weather and other natural phenomena. Edited by Conrad Lycosthenes, the work also contains Polydore Vergil's De prodigiis and J. Camerarius' La norica, o vero de gl'ostenti. The fine woodcuts are ascribed to Bernard Salomon. The Lyon printer De Tourne has also published the first Latin edition (Prodigiorum liber, without illustrations) in 1552 and the first edition in French the year after the Italian edition, both issued with illustrations. - Visit our website for additional images and information.

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