Hē tou Homērou poiēsis hapasa
Series: Italian books before 1601 -- roll 233, item 1
Publisher: Printer of Vergilius (C 6061) [Demetrius Damilas and Bartolommeo Libri?] for Bernardus and Nerius Nerlius, and Johannes Acciaiuolus
Published: 1489
Place of publication: Florence
Language: grc; lat
Other titles: Battle of the frogs and mice; Homeric hymns.
Work titles: Works
Notes: Edited by Demetrius Chalcondyles.

Title from colophon (v. 2, leaf 2ET5v).

Signatures: [superscript pi]A-D⁸ E¹⁰, A-Z⁸ ET⁸ [con]⁸ [rum]⁸; AA-ZZ⁸ ETET⁶ ([superscript pi]E10, ETET6 blank); [250; 190] leaves.

Vol. 1 begins (leaf [superscript pi]A1r): Bernardus Nerlius Petro Medicae Laurentii filio .S.

Leaf [rum]8v: Telos tes homerou Iliados.

Vol. 2 begins (leaf AA1r): Hypothesis tēs A Homērou Odysseias.

Place of publication from colophon; printer statement from ISTC, Ridolfi, colophon, and the prefatory letter of Nerlius; date from prefatory letter.

Colophon (v. 2, leaf 2ET5v): Hē tou Homērou poiesis hapasa entypōtheisa peras eilēphen ēdē syn theō en phlōrentia, analōmasi men, tōn eugenōn kai agathōn andrōn, kai peri logous hellēnikous spoudaiōn Bernardou kai Nēriou tanaidos tou Neriliou phlōrentinoin. ponō de kai dexiotēti Dēmētriou Mediolaneōs Krētos, tōn logiōn andrōn charin kai logōn hellenikōn ephiemenōn, Etei tō apo tēs Christou gennēseōs chiliostō tetrakosiostō ogdoēkostō ogdoō mēnos dekembriou enatē.

Prefatory letter in Latin by Bernardus Nerlius (leaf A1r) dated: Florentiae Idibus Ianuariis, M.CCCC.LXXXVIII. [i.e. 13 January 1488/89].

First edition of all texts except the Batrachomyomachia.

Due to an imposition error in the inner forme of sheet O2.7 (v. 1), the text on leaves O2v and O7r has been reversed. Cf. BM 15th cent.

Initial spaces.

Printed on sheets of "median"-size paper.

Includes lives of Homer wrongly attributed to Herodotus, Plutarch, and Dio Chrysostomus.

Hain-Copinger-Reichling, 8772.

Proctor, 6194.

Goff, H-300.

BSB-Ink, H-321.

Ridolfi, R. Stampa in Firenze nel secolo XV, p. 95-111.

BM 15th cent., VI, 678 (IB.27657a-c).

ISTC (CD-ROM, 1998 ed.), ih00300000.

Walsh, J.E. 15th cent. printed books, 2990-2991.

Bequest; William King Richardson; 1951; 50R-32.

MS ownership notation of the Monastery of St. Savior, Bologna, in lower margin of AA1 in v. 2, "Monasterio Sa[n]cti Saluatoris Bonon[i]ae."

MS note by David Steuart (i.e. David Steuart Erskine, 11th earl of Buchan) on front flyleaf of v. 1: MS note on vellum flyleaf at front of vol. 1, “Editio Princeps Homeri. This is one of the most beautiful copies of Homers Works extant; It is particularly described by de Bure in his Bibliographie Instructive N°. 2493. The Latin Dedication to Peter de Medicis by Bernard Nerlius, as well as the five sheets of a greek preface are omitted in this copy probably in order probably [sic] to make it more correspondant in appearance to the earliest printed Latin Classicks. There is a copy of this Edition of Homer in the Advocates Library Edinburgh, but without Illuminations & very inferior to this in point of Preservation. Four Hundred guineas were offered for a copy of it in Vellum. Edinburgh 25 December 1793. David Steuart”; with Steuart’s armorial bookplate in both volumes, overpasted with the armorial plate of a member of the Preston family. with his armorial bookplate in both vols. (overpasted with the armorial plate of a member of the Preston family).

Imperfect: 42 leaves at the beginning of v.1 ([superscript pi]A-D⁸ E¹⁰) wanting; blank leaf 2ET6 at end of v. 2 not present.

Initials at beginning of books illuminated, probably in the 17th or early 18th century; 1st leaf in each vol. has illuminated border on inner margin.

Some old MS annotations (almost entirely bleached out).

Bound in 18th-century dark red straight-grain morocco, covers and edges gilt; in red cloth slipcases, 36 cm.
Table of contents: title: Vol. [1]. Ilias; title: v. [2]. Odyssea; title: Batrachmyomachia; title: Hymnoi.