Huetius Origenis In Sacras Scripturas Commentaria. Quaecunque Graece Reperiri Potuerunt [...]. Rouen: Ioannis Berthelini, 1668, folios.
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An important critical edition of the Biblical Commentaries attributed to the important Early Church Father Origen with the text in double column in both Latin and Greek. This edition was compiled and edited by Pierre Daniel Huet, one of the leading French scholars of the 17th century. This is a lovely copy, quite possibly the best obtainable, of this scarce early modern printing of Origen's exegesis, in beautiful condition internally housed in very attractive bindings, with particularly interesting provenance.
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Provenance:
Bookplate of John Hoadly, LL.D. to front pastedown of both volumes with his signature dated 1738 to ffep recto of volume two. This is the English poet and playwright and friend of David Garrick, William Hogarth, and many others. His signature is dated 1738 and he gained an LL.D. in 1748, and so it would seem that his bookplate was added after a decade of his ownership of this set, perhaps covering an earlier iteration (unconfirmed).
Bookplate of "h.J." with the motto "Vive ut Vivas" to front pastedown of both volumes which pp.96-99 of "Ex-Libris: Essays of a Collector" by Charles Dexter Allen (1896) indicates belongs to Joseph Hopkinson, the United States Representative appointed by John Quincy Adams. He also edited the first American edition of Shakespeare's works. We could not locate any confirmation of the identity of the owner of this bookplate other than in this reference work. He was the son of 'Founding Father' Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
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Size: 246 x 383 mm (approx., each)
Condition:
[(3), a6, ā4, ē2, a-mm4, A-Ppp4, Qqq6, (3)]; [(3), t.p., A-Lll4, Mmm2, Nnn1, A-X4, (3)]
Contemporary full calf bindings, finely rebacked, preserving the original pastedowns and endpapers and thus preserving the provenance information, hinges reinforced. Early boards a little rubbed, but are very attractive. All boards are securely attached, the bindings are secure, and stand without shelf lean. Collates as complete through both volumes, despite a strange point in volume two's collation where there is a single 3N1 leaf, but the catchwords follow to the next leaf and no blank is called for here. Two bookplates attached to front pastedown as described under provenance, above, alongside an ink inscription to the ffep recto of volume two dated 1738, alongside a few pencil inscriptions to pastedowns/endpapers, and an early ink inscription to the rear pastedown of volume two.
