Details
APROSIO, Ludovico (1607-1681) -- La Bibliotheca Aprosiana. Passatempo Autumnale di Cornelio Aspasio Antivigilmi tr' Vagabondi di Tabbia dette l'Aggirato. Bologna: Li Minolessi, 1673.
12o (150 x 79 mm). Engraved frontispiece by Giov. Mattia Striglioni after Domenico Piola, showing the interior of the Aprosiana surmounted by the winged figure of Fame. Bound for Antoine-Augustin Renouard by Joseph Thouvenin ca. 1815 in red straight-grained morocco, single gilt lines round sides and on spine, inside gilt borders, marbled liners and endleaves, second pair of vellum flyleaves, uncut. Provenance: Antoine-Augustin Renouard (binding, this copy described in his Catalogue de la bibliothèque d'un Amateur, 1819: "choisue sur deux exemplaires."); John Ferguson (pencil signature on flyleaf, dated 3 July 1888).
Aprosio, a learned Augustinian Eremite, Vicar-General of his order in Genua, collected a vast library, variously estimated at eight to twelve thousand volumes, which he presented to his native city, Ventimiglia. Its status as a public library was confirmed, in 1653, in a brief by Innocent X. Aprosio conducted a vast correspondence with scholars, writers in prose and verse, and collectors, soliciting books for his library. The first part of "questo raro volumetto" (S. Nicolini), up to p. 261, contains his autobiography and account of his correspondences, the second the catalogue of the books presented, arranged under the first names of the 103 donors in alphabetical order, but only up to C (a complete list records a further 350 donors under the letters D to V). The purpose of his eccentric order may have been to solicit more gifts. Both parts are replete with biographical and bibliographical notes, many of great length. Although never completed, the catalogue is a valuable source for the history of Italian seventeenth century letters and illustrators. Nicolini 120; Taylor, pp.5-6.
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Aprosio, a learned Augustinian Eremite, Vicar-General of his order in Genua, collected a vast library, variously estimated at eight to twelve thousand volumes, which he presented to his native city, Ventimiglia. Its status as a public library was confirmed, in 1653, in a brief by Innocent X. Aprosio conducted a vast correspondence with scholars, writers in prose and verse, and collectors, soliciting books for his library. The first part of "questo raro volumetto" (S. Nicolini), up to p. 261, contains his autobiography and account of his correspondences, the second the catalogue of the books presented, arranged under the first names of the 103 donors in alphabetical order, but only up to C (a complete list records a further 350 donors under the letters D to V). The purpose of his eccentric order may have been to solicit more gifts. Both parts are replete with biographical and bibliographical notes, many of great length. Although never completed, the catalogue is a valuable source for the history of Italian seventeenth century letters and illustrators. Nicolini 120; Taylor, pp.5-6.