Opera Omnia Graece, Aristotle, edited by Desiderius Erasmus and Simon Grynaeus. Basel: Johann Bebel, 1531, folio.
THE FIRST COMPLETE EDITION OF ARISTOTLE IN GREEK; A HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT IMPRINT EDITED BY ERASMUS.
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This is Erasmus' monumental edition of Aristotle, the first complete edition in Greek and second overall, preceded only by the very rare and expensive five volume edition printed by the Aldine Press which lacked the Poetics and Rhetorics, which are here present. This is an incredibly important printing, very scarcely encountered in commerce. A copy was offered at PBA Galleries estimated at $8,000-$12,000 in 2015. This copy requires restoration and is a defective, see condition.
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Size: 202 x 330 mm (approx., each
Condition:
18th century full calf bindings, gilt dulled with some loss, bindings rubbed with minor discolouration. Binding for the first volume is split vertically down the spine separating the book in two. Second volume binding is secure. All boards securely attached. No attached bookplates or ownership inscriptions. Generally bright and clean through the text block of the second volume, but with approximately 25 consecutive leaves with the paper heavily toned and dried out such that the paper is very weak and is becoming fragmented, else the text of the second volume is very good. In the first volume, this issue is more substantial and affects about 50 leaves in the centre where the binding is split with many of those leaves having the paper crumbling with a small number of fragments missing, but generally the paper is all there. This volume must be handled carefully to prevent further degradation and would ideally be tended to by a competent restorer. The other leaves in the text block are generally very bright and clean, some foxing to the first few leaves including the title leaf (pictured) with the second leaf remounted without loss. With the paper issues fixed and the binding of the first volume repaired, this would be a magnificent copy of this exceedingly rare and important edition of Aristotle's works, being the earliest obtainable edition of his works for less than a six-figure price and the first complete edition of his works in the original Greek. The collation has not been provided so as to not risk further degradation of the weak paper in the two volumes, but the volumes, for those leaves which can be observed, appear to collate as complete. The second volume can be entirely leafed through, one just has to be careful with the circa 25 affected leaves (which do have some tears). The affected percentages of the two text blocks are somewhere around 10 and 20% of each and so the majority of the text in both volumes remains very nice indeed, but the obvious defects need noting. See one of the final photos for what this dried out paper looks like. This isn't a photo of the worst affected parts as we couldn't safely open those leaves fully without risking further damage.
[Adams A1730; Brunet I, 458].
