Aristophanes

In hoc parvo libro haec insunt. Aristophanis Cereris sacra celebrantes. Eiusdem Lysistrate. [Florence: Filippo Giunta], (5 kal. February 1515 [i.e. 1516]), woodcut printer's device on final verso (otherwise blank)

2 works in one volume, 8vo (166 x 105mm.), text in Greek, modern vellum, brown morocco lettering-piece on spine, additional line of Greek text added in manuscript on d6r

Basilius Alenabenus (?), inscription at foot of title-page

Censimento 16 CNCE 2855 & 2854; IA 107.633 & 107.634

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

EDITIO PRINCEPS of Thesmophoriazousae and Lysistrata.

The editio princeps of nine of Aristophanes' plays had been published in 1498 by Aldus; the second work in this volume contains two further plays, Thesmophoriazousae and Lysistrata, presumed to have been found by the editor, Euphrosynus Boninus, in a tenth-century Byzantine codex (now Ravennas 429 (R)), which is the only manuscript to contain all eleven plays, though he did not use this manuscript to correct the text of the other nine plays. These are the only eleven plays to survive, though Aristophanes is known to have written at least three times as many.