Suetonius Tranquillus

Suetonius Tranquillus [de Vita Caesarum], cum Philippi Beroaldi et Antonii Sabellici commentariis, cum figuris nuper additis. - "À la fin" : Commentaria Philippi Beroaldi nec non Marci Antonii Sabellici in Suetonium Tranquillum foeliciter Venetiis exacta, per Joannem Rubeum Vercellensem, anno Domini MCCCCCVI, die VIII. januarii.

Venice: Ioa[n]nem Rubeum, 1506. 80 woodcuts in text and numerous initials. Particularly noteworthy is the depiction of the birth of Caesar (f. 1), la plus ancienne illustration de l'opération césarienne (Sander). The word formation sectio caesarea - caesarean sectio. First edition. This copy is bound in modern quarter vellum. Dampstain at upper right, and throughout light dampstain at headband. dampstaining in the headpiece towards the gutter, sporadically lightly foxing, in parts lightly (a few pp. more heavily) browned, at the beginning and at the end slightly worm-hole. This is the first edition with woodcut title, 80 woodcuts in text and numerous initials. Particularly noteworthy is the depiction of the birth of Caesar (f. 1), la plus ancienne illustration de l'opération césarienne (Sander). The word formation sectio caesarea - caesarean section (actually from Latin caedere = to cut out) is related to this caesarean (section) birth of Caesar. De Vita Caesarum, a set of biographies of 12 successive Roman caesars, from Julius Caesar (of which the first few chapters are no longer extant) to Domitian. These biographies are written according to a fixed formula (appearance, family, quotes, history). Suetonius was a close friend of Pliny the Younger and became secretary to the Emperor Hadrian. Item #878

Folio 33x15 cm. Signatures: aa⁴, a-z⁸, & ⁸, ⁸, ⁸, A-S⁸, T⁶ First edition illustrated with numerous woodcuts.

BM STC Ital. Books, 651. - Proctor-Isaac 12403; EDIT 16 CNCE 29626; Essling 1, 208. - Sander III, 7143. - Ebert 21895. Wellcome 1, 6139. Not in Mortimer, Italian Books.

Price: $6,500.00