Historiarum ab inclination Romanorum imperii decades [...]. By Flavio Biondo. Venice: Octavianus Scotus, 16 July 1483, small folio.
THE FIRST EDITION OF FLAVIO BIONDO'S MAGNUM OPUS, A HISTORY OF EUROPE FROM THE PLUNDER OF ROME IN 410 TO THE CONTEMPORARY ITALY OF 1442.
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FIRST EDITION of Biondo's influential history covering the fall of the Roman Empire through to the middle of the 15th century. Pope Pius II wrote an abridged edition of this original which was used by Platina for The Lives of the Popes and, importantly, by Niccolo Machiavelli for his Florentine History. Biondo is generally recognised as the first (or second, contemporaneous to Leonardo Bruni) historian to use a three period division of history (early, middle, modern) and is also considered to be one of the first archaeologists.
An extremely rare edition in commerce, with the second edition of 1484 more commonly encountered, but well represented institutionally.
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Size: 205 x 290 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[(4), a-l⁸ (-a1), m-z¹⁰, A-C¹⁰, D-E⁸, F-M¹⁰, N-S⁸, (4)]
Lacks a1 blank else collates as complete. Leaf d8 placed at the end of the next gathering, but present. Someone has erroneously paginated the leaves in gathering d in light small pencil in the bottom outer corners - a comparison with a digitised copy of this edition (Seville University's copy) shows that the leaves in this copy do follow in the correct order sans d8, but all leaves that form this gathering are present. Split in the gutter between c3 and c4 causing some early leaves to be out of alignment, but present, some visible attempts at historic restoration in the aforementioned gutter with some of the first few leaves reinforced in the gutters, entrance leaf (a2) slightly attached to the facing blank's verso at the top. Also split at the rear with the final few leaves loose in binding but present, including the Registrum. Generally very bright and clean throughout the full text block, without marginalia, some mild dampstaining to the first few leaves and from G5-S8 (last few leaves), not affecting textual legibility or sense, and these are very mild. Generally a very well preserved copy.
18th century full vellum, some discolouration and a few splits, but holds well, pastedowns a little more recent. Blanks presumably contemporaneous with the binding, but possibly a bit older given the edge toning possibly indicative of a previous calf binding. Both boards securely attached. Shelf lean.
A lovely copy of a very scarce first edition incunable.
[ISTC ib00698000; USTC 996810; Goff B698; Pell 2420; Bod-inc B354; BMC V, 277; BSB-Ink B551; GW 4419]
