C. Plinij Secundi Veronensis Historiae naturalis libri xxxvij
By: aptissimis figuris exculti ; ab Alexa[n]dro Benedicto Ve. physico emendatiores redditi
Contributors: Benedetti, Alessandro, approximately 1450-1512; Sessa, Melchiorre, active 1506-1549
Publisher: Per Melchiorem Sessam
Published: 1513
Place of publication: Impressus Venetiis summa diligentia
Language: lat
Number of pages: 14
Subjects: Illustrations; Natural history; Pre-Linnean works; Early works to 1800; Papyrus (The plant)
Other titles: Historiae naturalis libri xxxvij; C. Plinii Secundi Veronensis historiae naturalis libri xxxvii; C. Plinij Secundi Ueronensis historiae naturalis libri xxxvij
Work titles: Naturalis historia
Notes: Imprint from colophon, which reads: Explicit. C. Plinius Secundus De naturali hystoria nunc primum diligentissime ab Alexandro Benedicto phisico recognitus, cunctisq[ue] erroribus expurgatus ...

Signatures: 2a⁸ 2b⁶ a-z⁸ &⁸ [con]⁸ Rx¹⁰ A¹⁰.

"Liber XIII ... De gummi generibus & papyro ... De generibus chartarum & quomodo chartæ fiant & de chartarum probatione & uitiis & glutino earum ... De libris Numæ": leaves LXXVIII-LXXIX; ill., leaf LXXVI.

Title page printed in red and black; decorative and pictorial initials.

Probably printed for Sessa by Agostino de Zanni (cf. STC).

Numerous errors in foliation.

Illustrations: 37 woodcut images, 8 x 9 cm., one at the beginning of every book. One woodcut image, 12 x 9 cm., on verso of leaf 2a2. For a detailed description of the illustrations see Essling.

Melchior Sessa's woodcut cat and mouse device on t.p. and orb and cross on colophon (cf. Kristeller).

BM STC Italian, 1465-1600, p. 526

Wellcome cat. of printed books, 5114

Sander 5760

Essling, V.  Etudes sur l'art de la gravure sur bois à Venise, I, p. 28

Kristeller, P.  Die italienischen Buchdrucker- und Verlegerzeichen bis 1525, 295, 297

Getty copy lacks leaf A10 (blank).

Bound in contemporary vellum over boards; front- and rear boars blind tooled with panel design and floral ornaments; ink title (worn) on spine; bookplate of Victor v. Stedingk on front pastedown; heavily annotated on front and rear pastedown and front free endpaper; inscribed on t.p. by a former owner.