An Early Edition of Cicero's Collection of Philosophical Treaties

CICERO, Marcus Tullius.

[Opera]. De natura deorum, De divinatione, De legibus, Academica, De finibus bonorum et malorum, De fato, Timaeus, Somnium Scipionis, Quintus Tullius Cicero: Commentariolum petitionis.

Venice: Simon Bevilaqua, 1496.

Opera]. De natura deorum, De divinatione, De legibus, Academica, De finibus bonorum et malorum, De fato, Timaeus, Somnium Scipionis, Quintus Tullius Cicero: Commentariolum petitionis. Venice: Simon Bevilaqua, 1496.

Full Description:

CICERO, Marcus Tullius. [Opera]. De natura deorum, De divinatione, De legibus, Academica, De finibus bonorum et malorum, De fato, Timaeus, Somnium Scipionis, Quintus Tullius Cicero: Commentariolum petitionis. [Venice: Simon Bevilaqua, September 18, 1496].

Early [second?] collected edition. First collected edition was printed in 1471. The last complete copy of the first edition at auction was in 1970. No other copies of this early edition at auction that we could find. Small folio in 6 (11 7/8 x 8 inches; 300 x 205 mm). Part I. De natura deorum: a-e6. [30] leaves; Part II. De divinatione: A-C6 D4. [22] leaves]; Part III. De legibus. - Academica: aa-bb6 cc4 dd-ff6. [34] leaves; Part IV. De finibus bonorum et malorum, etc: AA-FF6 GG4 HH6 II8. [54] leaves. This current copy collates complete and the same as the copy at the University of Glasgow. Books I and III are misbound, so the order is III, II, I, IV.

Full modern calf. Red morocco spine label, lettered in gilt. Top edge dyed brown. Newer endpapers. With a "Bradford Free Library" stamp on first leaf (Contents leaf). Previous owner's old ink marginalia and underlining. Some light dampstaining throughout. Final leaf with some rust spots to blank verso. A few pages with some toning, mainly within book IV. Overall a very good copy of this scarce work.

In regards to the first edition of this work printed in 1471, Howell states "The first of these four treatises by Cicero, all of which are here printed for the first time, is one of his most famous. De Natura Deorum is a dialogue set in 77 B.C., expounding and criticizing the system of Epicurus, and discussing the existence of the gods, nature, astronomy, the government of the world, and providence. Cicero directed his dialogue On Divination against the astrology of the Chaldeans. De Legibus is a political work, imitative of Plato’s Laws (it was reprinted in the 1472 edition of De Officiis while its companion piece De Fato appeared separately in 1485). The Academica was originally written in two versions of two books and four books, respectively: its first printing here is a conflation of the two versions." (Howell 40-018).

BMC V 521. Goff C572 + C567. GW 6905. Hain 5334 [first edition]. Polain. Proctor 4030 [first edition].

HBS 69019.

$6,750.

Price: $6,750.00

Item #69019