FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33  
34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   >>   >|  
2. LIVIUS, TITUS. Historiarum Romanarum libri I-X. Late 15th century. Vellum. 336 leaves, the last blank. 34 quires all having ten leaves, except the 17th and 34th which have eight each. 31 lines to the page; catchword placed at right angles with the last line of the quire; ruled on both sides with plummet. Leaf 14-1/2 x 10 in., text-page 9 x 6 in. Written in very regular, bold Italian minuscules of the period of the Renaissance. The first page of the preface is surrounded by an illuminated border in gold and colors in the Renaissance style of ornament, into which are introduced the Caraccioli arms belonging to the distinguished Neapolitan family of that name. The initial F on this page is historiated with a view of Rome, and each of the ten books has an eight-line initial of dull gold on a background of red, blue and green, with marginal ornamentation. From the close agreement, even in punctuation, between this MS. and the edition printed at Milan in 1495 by Ulrich Scinzenzeler for Alexander Minutianus, and from other features which forbid the supposition that one is taken directly from the other, we must conclude that they both reproduce a common ancestor. This MS. of the first Decade of Livy is in unusually fine preservation, and is bound in russia extra, with broad borders of gold and gilt marbled edges. Brought from Palermo by Dr. Anthony Askew (1722-1772), it was sold with his collection of MSS. in 1785. Michael Wodhull, Esq., of Thenford, Northamptonshire, who gave seven guineas for the volume at "White's sale" in March, 1798, added to his customary entry of these details on the fly-leaf this note: "This appears to be the very Book which I saw Sir W. Burrell purchase at Dr. Askew's manuscript Auction (No. 482) for thirty-two guineas; in Sir W. Burrell's Auction, May, 1796, it is said to have gone for about five (No. 657). The note in _Bib. Askev. manuscripta_ is: 'Ex Panormo in Sicilia hunc cod. adduxit secum Cl. Askevius.' & '300 annor. MSS. longe pulcherrimus.'" At the sale of the Wodhull library in January, 1886, the Livy MS. and the greater part of the 15th-century books hereinafter described were acquired by the donor of the collection, William Loring Andrews, M.A., of New York City. PRINTED BOOKS 1. BIBLIA LATINA. Moguntiae, Johannes Fust et Petrus Schoeffer, 14 August, 1462. [Folio. 481 leaves, 2 columns, 48 lines to the column, gothic letter, without signatures, catchwor
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33  
34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

leaves

 

Renaissance

 
Auction
 

Burrell

 

century

 

Wodhull

 

collection

 
initial
 

guineas

 

purchase


thirty

 

manuscript

 

Northamptonshire

 
Thenford
 
Michael
 

volume

 

appears

 
details
 

customary

 

BIBLIA


LATINA
 

Moguntiae

 
Johannes
 

PRINTED

 

Andrews

 

Petrus

 

gothic

 

column

 

letter

 
catchwor

signatures

 

columns

 

August

 
Schoeffer
 

Loring

 
William
 
adduxit
 

Askevius

 

Sicilia

 
manuscripta

Panormo

 
hereinafter
 
acquired
 

greater

 

pulcherrimus

 

library

 

January

 
conclude
 
minuscules
 

Italian