Sophocles | Tragaediae septem, Venice, Aldus, 1502, later red morocco, first leaf illuminated, Fortescue copy

Sophocles

Τραγωδιαι επτα... Tragaediae septem. Venice: Aldus Manutius, in Aldi Romani Academia, August 1502

8vo (163 x 100mm.), text in Greek, FIRST LEAF OF TEXT WITH ILLUMINATED INITIAL AND BORDER, with blank leaves δ4, θ4 and χ10, woodcut Aldine device on final verso, nineteenth-century red straight-grained morocco, gilt fillet border, blind-stamped arms of George Fortescue, flat spine gilt, gilt edges

EDITIO PRINCEPS, and the first of Aldus's Greek texts to appear in his new octavo format. Aldus's small Greek cursive appears in this edition for the first time; later in 1502 Francesco Griffo, Aldus's typecutter, left Aldus's employ, and no new fonts were cut after this. This is also the first book in which Aldus's Greek Academy is mentioned, in both the preface and the colophon: "in Aldi Romani Academia".

LITERATURE

Aldo Manuzio tipografo 62; Edit16 36139; Renouard 34/6; UCLA 60

PROVENANCE

George Matthew Fortescue (1791-1877, the nephew of Sir Thomas Grenville), arms on binding