Aeschines and Demosthenes, Orationes, Venice, Torresano, 1549, contemporary limp vellum

Aeschines and Demosthenes. Των της Ελλαδος εξοχων ρητορων Αισχινου και Δημοσθενους λογοι τεσσαρες αντιδικοι. Graeciae eccellentium oratorum Aeschinis & Demosthenis orationes quatuor inter se contrariae. Venice: Federico Torresano, 1549

Federico, the brother of Gian Francesco, began publishing sporadically under his own name in 1538, using other printers, but in 1549 his output became more regular, and he concentrated on texts in Greek (as here) which he printed himself, and using the dolphin and anchor device instead of the Torresano tower device. His preface emphases the care with which the text for this edition was prepared.

8vo (168 x 109 mm). Greek type, 28 lines plus headline. collation: *⁴ A-E⁸ F⁴ G-K⁸ [2]A-O⁸: 192 leaves (F4 and K8 blank, quires G-K from first sequence misbound at end). Woodcut Aldine device on title-page, woodcut initials. (Small holes in first two leaves.)

binding: Contemporary limp vellum (175 x 114 mm), stubs and holes from two pairs of ties. (Binding slightly soiled, a few tears in pastedowns.)

provenance: Σ C I, initials at foot of title-page — Parma, Benedictine monastery of S. Joannes, inscription on title-page dated 1574 (and their inventory number 65 on spine?) — Replica Shoes Parke Bernet, London, 26-27 January 1976, lot 314, £55. acquisition: Purchased from the preceding sale. references: UCLA 1037; Cataldi Palau 176; Edit16 326; Renouard 145/5