Vibius Sequester Dionysius Periegetes (4 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Very good. First. First Aldine edition. Venice: in aedibus Aldi, et Andreae Soceri (the heirs of Aldus Manutius the Elder and Andrea Torresano the Elder); October 1518. Octavo (6" x 3 13/16", 152mm x 97mm). [Full collation available.] Bound in contemporary Venetian paneled calf with two pairs of silk ties. With four knotted "Greek style" tools in the center panel. On the spine, three raised bands. Ink manuscript to the fore-edge of the text-block: "POMP. MELA. ET SOLINVS." Small losses along the lower edge, with scuffs and the odd spot of soiling. The corners bumped and the ties perished. The text-block remarkably fresh, with occasional sidelining in ink. A reference in ink manuscript to Pliny in the margin of fol. 119r. Collated complete (including both the q8 and G3 blanks) against the register and UCLA. Ex-libris of Emilio Pittaluga to the title-page, completed in ink manuscript "ottimo esemplare." Bookplate of T. Kimball Brooker laid in. Pomponius Mela (d. AD 45) and Caius (Gaius) Julius Solinus (fl. ca. AD 225) together were the twin stars of Roman (i.e., Latin) ancient geography through the medieval period, and far more influential than Ptolemy, whose Geographical Guidance was largely inaccessible to Continental scholars before it was translated into Latin in 1406. A frequent source of Pliny (whose Historia naturalis has geographical components but belongs properly to a different genre), Mela's De situ orbis bridges the gap between the Greek geographers (Eratosthenes, Ptolemy) and his successors. Solinus wrote his De mirabilibus mundi (On the wonders of the world) -- also called the Polyhistor (very learned), as here -- in the first half of the third century of the current era. The works of Mela and Solinus fill a little more than half the volume (through fol. 127). Four shorter works follow, making the volume a useful collection of geographical works. The first is the Itinerarium -- itinerary -- carried out under Emperor Antoninus Pius (AD 86-161), which lists in order the places along a road as they stretched across the Roman Empire. Vibius Sequester (ca. AD 400) provides a literary parallel; conventionally titled De fluminibus, fontibus, lacubus, nemoribus, paludibus, montibus, gentibus per litteras (fol. 191ff.) it gathers the place-names mentioned in Classical literature -- particularly Vergil and Ovid. Publius Victor is a confected Classical author, made to provide authorship for a XVc (first published 1505) treatise De regionibus urbis Romae liber (fol. 201ff.), which describes the neighborhoods (regiones) of ancient Rome. The volume finishes with the poem of Dionysius Periegetes (sometimes called, as here, Dionysius Afer -- born as he was in Libya in perhaps the AD IIc), a member of the "Second Sophistic," composed in Greek and translated by Priscian into Latin as De orbis situ (fol. 215ff.). These final treatises speak particularly to the lineage of the work through the press of Aldus Manutius (Aldo Manuzio, ca. 1450-1515), the great Venetian humanist-printer whom we have largely to thank for the dissemination of texts in small formats. Thomas Kimball Brooker (Kim, b. 1939) is an American industrialist with a life-long scholarly interest in books. To wit, his Harvard Business School Master's thesis was titled Rare Books as a Hedge against Devaluation and Inflation; he went on to get an MA in Art History and a PhD, both from the University of Chicago. He is the most significant collector -- certainly among the living, perhaps ever, or at the least on par with the likes of J.P. Morgan -- of early printed books, with a particular focus on Aldus Manutius. His collection is being dispersed by Sotheby's in a series of eight auctions, the Bibliotheca Brookeriana, from 2023 into 2026 (to include his the formidable reference library). The present volume was lot 245 in part II (the Aldine Collection D-M) 18 October 2024 in New York. Adams M 1053; Edit16 46864; Renouard, Alde 83/6; UCLA 171; USTC 841939.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. SECOND GIUNTA EDITION (1st 1519). A tall, unsophisticated copy, in its original limp vellum binding (vellum stained, lacking ties, short split to upper hinge). The text is in very good condition with intermittent foxing, heavier in some gatherings. A compendium of ancient geographical texts, including descriptions of the known world by Pomponius Mela, Dionysius Periegetes, and Gaius Julius Solinus. Shorter texts include a catalogue of the regions within the city of Rome, "De regionibus urbis Romae" by "Publius Victor". The work is possibly a literary forgery of the 15th century, presented as the work of a newly-discovered author. The name was coined by Pomponius Leto of the Roman Academy. The volume was edited by Antonio Francino (1480- after 1537), a scholar of great talent, who taught in the households of important Florentines, and who produced, starting in 1517, numerous editions of Greek and Latin authors for the Giunta firm. Francino's opening letter in this volume is addressed to the twenty-year old Pietro Vettori, who would himself become a philologist of great renown. Pomponius Mela's Description of the World: "A generation earlier than the work of the natural historian Pliny, under the reign of Claudius or Caligula, we find the first Latin author whom, to the best of our knowledge, we can call a pure geographer and whose work has come down to us complete. This is Pomponius Mela, a Spaniard from Tingentera, near Gibraltar, whose Chronographia, "Description of Places" in three books, is preserved The Chronographia describes the world, taking the Mediterranean as its basic point of reference. It proceeds counterclockwise from the Strait of Gibraltar, whither it returns at the end of the description."(Conte) "After a short prooemium, in which he dwells upon the importance and difficulties of his undertaking, he proceeds to define the cardinal points, and to explain the division of the world into two hemispheres and five zones. The northern hemisphere is that portion of the Earth which is known, and is separated by the impassable torrid zone from the southern hemisphere, which is altogether unknown, and is the abode of the Antichthones. The northern, known hemisphere is completely surrounded by the ocean, which communicates with the four great seas: one on the north, the Caspian; two on the south, the Persian and the Arabian; and one in the west, The Mediterranean, with its subdivisions. Next follows a description of the three continents: Asia, Europe, and Africa, and an enumeration of its inhabitants. These preliminaries being discussed, the author enters upon more minute details, and makes a complete circuit of the known world. "Thus commencing at the straits of Hercules with Mauritania, he passes on in regular order to Numidia, Africa Proper, the Cyrenaica, Egypt, Arabia, Syria, Phoenicia, Cilicia, Pamphylia, Lycia, Caria, Ionia, Aeolis, Bithynia, Paphlagonia, the Asiatic nations on the Euxine and the Palus Maeotis, European Scythia, Thrace, Macedonia, Greece, the Peloponinesus, Epirus, Illyricum, Italy from the head of the Adriatic round by Magna Graecia to the Ligurian Gulf, Gallia Narbonnensis, and the eastern coast of Spain. (Hispaniae ora citerior.) The tour of the Mediterranean being now completed, a chapter is devoted to its islands. Passing beyond the Straits, we stretch along the western coast of Spain (Hispaniae ora exterior), the western coast of Gaul (Galliae ora exterior), the islands of the Northern Ocean, Germany, Sarmatia, the shores of the Caspian, the Eastern Ocean and India, the Mare Rubrum and its two gulfs, the Persian and Arabian, Aethiopia, and those portions of Aethiop a and Mauritania bordering upon the Atlantic, which brings him round to the point from which he started. It will be seen from the above sketch that the existence of the northern countries of Europe and of the northern and eastern countries of Asia were unknown, it being supposed that these regions formed part of the ocean, which, in like manner, was supposed to occupy the whole of Central and Southern Africa."(Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography) Solinus: "Gaius Julius Solinus, who probably lived between the middle and the end of the third century, was concerned with geography, though not in the modern sense of the term. His work is entitled Collectanea Rerum Memorabilium, but in the Middle Ages, when it was widely read, it was also known as Polyhistor, to emphasize the great number of curiosities that were collected there. The work is a careful compilation from many literary sources, chiefly Pliny the Elder but also Pomponius Mela and Suetonius, along with various other geographical treatises that are no longer extant. Solinus noted down all the unusual things he came across when reading these works, about peoples and their customs, animals, and plants "The work opens with a full treatment of Rome and Roman history from the kings to the principate of Augustus. The area examined is then extended to Italy, and then to Greece and the Black Sea, Germany, Gaul, Britain, and Spain; this counterclockwise tour ends with Africa, Arabia, Asia Minor, India, and the kingdom of the Parthians, in accordance with a systematic geographical plan that is one of the most characteristic features of the work. It enjoyed considerable success in the Middle Ages, when it was also read and studied as a summary of the excessively vast Naturalis Historia of Pliny the Elder. It did not, however, altogether replace it, with the result that it enjoyed, so to speak, a success parallel to that of its more illustrious predecessor."(Conte) "Referring to the reading of Pliny and Solinus in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Anthony Grafton writes: 'Generations of readers thrilled, like Desdemona listening to Othello, at these tales of strange creatures, foods, and burial customs and were no doubt stimulated by them to see the inhabitants of strange lands as literally outlandish, less than civilized or even less than human.' Charles Raymond Beazle.

LeatherBound. Condition: New. BOOKS ARE EXEMPT FROM IMPORT DUTIES AND TARIFFS; NO EXTRA CHARGES APPLY. LeatherBound edition. Condition: New. Reprinted from 1545 edition. Leather Binding on Spine and Corners with Golden leaf printing on spine. NO changes have been made to the original text. This is NOT a retyped or an ocr'd reprint. Illustrations, Index, if any, are included in black and white. Each page is checked manually before printing. Pages: 228 As this print on demand book is reprinted from a very old book, there could be some missing or flawed pages, but we always try to make the book as complete as possible. Fold-outs, if any, are not part of the book. If the original book was published in multiple volumes then this reprint is of only one volume, not the whole set. Sewing binding for longer life, where the book block is actually sewn (smythe sewn/section sewn) with thread before binding which results in a more durable type of binding. Pages: 228 Language: Latin.

Leather Bound. Condition: New. Language: Latin. Language: Latin. Presenting an Exquisite Leather-Bound Edition, expertly crafted with Original Natural Leather that gracefully adorns the spine and corners. The allure continues with Golden Leaf Printing that adds a touch of elegance, while Hand Embossing on the rounded spine lends an artistic flair. This masterpiece has been meticulously reprinted in 2024, utilizing the invaluable guidance of the original edition published many years ago in 1545. The contents of this book are presented in classic black and white. Its durability is ensured through a meticulous sewing binding technique, enhancing its longevity. Imprinted on top-tier quality paper. A team of professionals has expertly processed each page, delicately preserving its content without alteration. Due to the vintage nature of these books, every page has been manually restored for legibility. However, in certain instances, occasional blurriness, missing segments, or faint black spots might persist. We sincerely hope for your understanding of the challenges we faced with these books. Recognizing their significance for readers seeking insight into our historical treasure, we've diligently restored and reissued them. Our intention is to offer this valuable resource once again. We eagerly await your feedback, hoping that you'll find it appealing and will generously share your thoughts and recommendations. Lang: - Latin, Pages: - 224, Print on Demand. If it is a multi-volume set, then it is only a single volume. We are specialised in Customisation of books, if you wish to opt different color leather binding, you may contact us. This service is chargeable. Product Disclaimer: Kindly be informed that, owing to the inherent nature of leather as a natural material, minor discolorations or textural variations may be perceptible. Explore the FOLIO EDITION (12x19 Inches): Available Upon Request. 224 224.