PLATO. Opera quae extant omnia, in Greek and Latin. [Edited by Henri Estienne, translated by Jean de Serres]. [Geneva:] Henri Estienne II 1578. 3 vols., folio, 394 x 247 mm. (15 7/16 x 9 3/4 in.), seventeenth-century French red goatskin, covers with double gilt fillet borders, spines in seven compartments with English or Scottish(?) gold-tooling, second compartment lettered in gilt, board edges gilt, comb-marbled pastedown endleaves, small restoration to lettering of vol. III, minor wear to extremities; quarter morocco suede-lined folding cases; marginal paper flaw affecting side-note of fol. A8 in vol. 1, vol. 3 with repaired marginal tears to first 3 leaves and tear entering text of fol. 4Y6, two small wormholes to lower margins in second half of vol. 3, a few very minor short marginal tears or paper flaws, a few corners creased, occasional slight staining to extreme outer margins. FIRST EDITION, ruled in red throughout, text in double column in Greek and roman type, dated woodcut printer's device (Schreiber 19) on title-page of vol. 1, woodcut head- and tail-pieces and initials. Adams P-1439; Renouard Estienne pp. 145-46; Schreiber Estiennes 201.A FINE COPY OF THE FIRST COMPLETE EDITION OF PLATO'S WORKS. Although its publication contributed directly to his financial ruin, Henri Estienne's Plato formed, with the great Thesaurus graecae linguae of 1572, the basis for his scholarly reputation. "Henri Estienne's monumental edition of Plato...for two centuries remained the indispensable instrument of Platonic studies; to this day its pagination is universally accepted as the standard system of reference to the text of Plato.... For the translation Estienne discarded the old standard Latin version by Ficino, and commissioned an entirely new version from Jean de Serres... Of all Henri Estienne's publications the Plato is perhaps the most lavishly decorated...it is the only publication in which Estienne used his entire series of decorative headpieces" (Schreiber). The present copy appears to be one of a small number of copies printed on grand papier (cf. Renouard, p. 146).Provenance: THÉOPHILE RAYNAUD, seventeenth-century French Jesuit scholar and writer, hand-colored engraved bookplate under his pseudonym "Petrus de Maridat" on front flyleaves of each volume -- Unidentified eighteenth or nineteenth-century English pressmarks in ink (deleted) on front free endpaper of each volume -- Haven O'More, The Garden, Ltd., bookplate (sale, Sotheby's New York, 9-10 November 1989, lot 40). (3)

PLATO. Opera quae extant omnia, in Greek and Latin. [Edited by Henri Estienne, translated by Jean de Serres]. [Geneva:] Henri Estienne II 1578. 3 vols., folio, 394 x 247 mm. (15 7/16 x 9 3/4 in.), seventeenth-century French red goatskin, covers with double gilt fillet borders, spines in seven compartments with English or Scottish(?) gold-tooling, second compartment lettered in gilt, board edges gilt, comb-marbled pastedown endleaves, small restoration to lettering of vol. III, minor wear to extremities; quarter morocco suede-lined folding cases; marginal paper flaw affecting side-note of fol. A8 in vol. 1, vol. 3 with repaired marginal tears to first 3 leaves and tear entering text of fol. 4Y6, two small wormholes to lower margins in second half of vol. 3, a few very minor short marginal tears or paper flaws, a few corners creased, occasional slight staining to extreme outer margins. FIRST EDITION, ruled in red throughout, text in double column in Greek and roman type, dated woodcut printer's device (Schreiber 19) on title-page of vol. 1, woodcut head- and tail-pieces and initials. Adams P-1439; Renouard Estienne pp. 145-46; Schreiber Estiennes 201. A FINE COPY OF THE FIRST COMPLETE EDITION OF PLATO'S WORKS. Although its publication contributed directly to his financial ruin, Henri Estienne's Plato formed, with the great Thesaurus graecae linguae of 1572, the basis for his scholarly reputation. "Henri Estienne's monumental edition of Plato...for two centuries remained the indispensable instrument of Platonic studies; to this day its pagination is universally accepted as the standard system of reference to the text of Plato.... For the translation Estienne discarded the old standard Latin version by Ficino, and commissioned an entirely new version from Jean de Serres... Of all Henri Estienne's publications the Plato is perhaps the most lavishly decorated...it is the only publication in which Estienne used his entire series of decorative headpieces" (Schreiber). The present copy appears to be one of a small number of copies printed on grand papier (cf. Renouard, p. 146). Provenance: THÉOPHILE RAYNAUD, seventeenth-century French Jesuit scholar and writer, hand-colored engraved bookplate under his pseudonym "Petrus de Maridat" on front flyleaves of each volume -- Unidentified eighteenth or nineteenth-century English pressmarks in ink (deleted) on front free endpaper of each volume -- Haven O'More, The Garden, Ltd., bookplate (sale, Sotheby's New York, 9-10 November 1989, lot 40). (3)

Details

PLATO. Opera quae extant omnia, in Greek and Latin. [Edited by Henri Estienne, translated by Jean de Serres]. [Geneva:] Henri Estienne II 1578. 3 vols., folio, 394 x 247 mm. (15 7/16 x 9 3/4 in.), seventeenth-century French red goatskin, covers with double gilt fillet borders, spines in seven compartments with English or Scottish(?) gold-tooling, second compartment lettered in gilt, board edges gilt, comb-marbled pastedown endleaves, small restoration to lettering of vol. III, minor wear to extremities; quarter morocco suede-lined folding cases; marginal paper flaw affecting side-note of fol. A8 in vol. 1, vol. 3 with repaired marginal tears to first 3 leaves and tear entering text of fol. 4Y6, two small wormholes to lower margins in second half of vol. 3, a few very minor short marginal tears or paper flaws, a few corners creased, occasional slight staining to extreme outer margins. FIRST EDITION, ruled in red throughout, text in double column in Greek and roman type, dated woodcut printer's device (Schreiber 19) on title-page of vol. 1, woodcut head- and tail-pieces and initials. Adams P-1439; Renouard Estienne pp. 145-46; Schreiber Estiennes 201.

A FINE COPY OF THE FIRST COMPLETE EDITION OF PLATO'S WORKS. Although its publication contributed directly to his financial ruin, Henri Estienne's Plato formed, with the great Thesaurus graecae linguae of 1572, the basis for his scholarly reputation. "Henri Estienne's monumental edition of Plato...for two centuries remained the indispensable instrument of Platonic studies; to this day its pagination is universally accepted as the standard system of reference to the text of Plato.... For the translation Estienne discarded the old standard Latin version by Ficino, and commissioned an entirely new version from Jean de Serres... Of all Henri Estienne's publications the Plato is perhaps the most lavishly decorated...it is the only publication in which Estienne used his entire series of decorative headpieces" (Schreiber). The present copy appears to be one of a small number of copies printed on grand papier (cf. Renouard, p. 146).

Provenance: THÉOPHILE RAYNAUD, seventeenth-century French Jesuit scholar and writer, hand-colored engraved bookplate under his pseudonym "Petrus de Maridat" on front flyleaves of each volume -- Unidentified eighteenth or nineteenth-century English pressmarks in ink (deleted) on front free endpaper of each volume -- Haven O'More, The Garden, Ltd., bookplate (sale, Sotheby's New York, 9-10 November 1989, lot 40). (3)