Fine Books & Manuscripts

LIVIUS, Titus (c. 59 BCE–c. 17 CE). Historiae Romanae decades. Edited by Marcus Antonius Sabellicus. Venice: Philippus Pincius for Lucantonio Giunta, 3 November 1495. Super–chancery folio (317 x 229 mm). 274 leaves including final blank (often lacking). Roman type, 60 lines and head–line, 3 full–page woodcut borders with vignettes opening of each decade, numerous woodcuts, woodcut initials, printer’s device in red on final leaf verso. Later vellum, hand–titled spine, renewed endpapers (light marginal toning, few minor stains, tiny wormhole to margins of approximately 10 leaves). Provenance: marginalia in an early hand, inscription on A1 dated 1763. SECOND ILLUSTRATED EDITION of Livy’s history of Rome with the woodcuts first appearing in Joannes Rubeus’s 1493 edition and the elaborate borders from earlier works by Giovanni Ragazzo, including his Plutarch. BMC:V, p. 496; Bod–inc S–033; BSB–Ink L–194; ISTC il00247000.