Suidas, Lexicon graecum, Milan, 1499, later red morocco, Syston Park copy

Suidas

Lexicon graecum. Milan: Johannes Bissolus and Benedictus Mangius, for Demetrius Chalcondylas, 15 November 1499

2 volumes, Super-Median folio (342 x 226mm.), 516 leaves, α-ω ααα-λλλ⁸; Α-Ω ΑΑ-ΔΔ⁸ ΕΕ-ΖΖ⁶, with the corrected text on the final leaf and the two missing words supplied in manuscript (see BMC), 46 lines, Greek type, 3- to 5-line initial spaces, woodcut printer's device at end, a page of manuscript on final blank verso (see footnote), gilt and blind-tooled red morocco by Ridge of Grantham, with his ticket, spine gilt in compartments, gilt edges, stain at head of last few leaves, extremities slightly rubbed

EDITIO PRINCEPS of the Suidas, a Byzantine encyclopaedic dictionary compiled towards the end of the tenth century, based on earlier works such as the fifth-century lexicon of Hesychius. Chalcondylas (1423-1511) was a Greek emigré who taught Greek to many of the most eminent scholars of fifteenth-century Italy. Together with two of his former pupils as investors, he engaged the printers to produce a print run of 800 copies, and the books were to be offered for sale by Scinzenzeler and Joannes de Romano. The text on the very first leaf contains a dialogue by Stefani Negri (a pupil of Chalcondylas) between the bookseller and a student, noting the price of three ducats for this book.

The manuscript notes at the end transcribe the list of entries arranged by first and second letters or digraphs on the title-page verso of the 1514 Aldine edition of the Suidas.

Please note that this lot has already been granted an export licence by the Italian authorities.