1524 ALDINE Homer ILIAD IN GREEK Trojan War ANCIENT GREECE Epic Poetry ALDUS

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

[Early Printing - Aldine Press] [Early Greek Typography] [Greek Classics] [Greek Mythology] [Trojan War]Venice: printed by heirs of Aldus Manutius, and Andrea Torresano de Asula, 1524.Third Aldine edition of The Iliad in Greek (first printed by Aldus in 1504). Printed at the celebrated Venetian printing house of Aldus Manutius, this lovely little volume presents one of greatest and oldest epic poems of the Western literature, printed in the elegant Aldine Greek type. The text of this 1524 edition closely follows the 1517 second Aldine edition, but also includes the important dedicatory preface by Aldus Manutius to Girolamo Aleandro from the 1504 1st Aldine edition.The text is entirely in Greek, except for the Latin/Greek title on 1 1 r and A 1 r, and the dedicatory preface in Latin (leaves A 2 r-A 3 v). The volume also includes the greek text of the lives of Homer by (pseudo-)Herodotus and Plutarch, which occupy the first 56 leaves.The Iliad (Greek: Ιλιαζ) is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, set in the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of Ilium by a coalition of Greek states. The Iliad is among the oldest extant works of Western literature, and its written version is usually dated to around the 8th century BC. The Iliad contains approximately 15,700 lines, and is written in a literary amalgam of several Greek dialects. One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer's Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode of the Trojan War. At its center is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks, and his conflict with his leader Agamemnon. Interwoven in the tragic sequence of events are powerfully moving descriptions of the ebb and flow of battle, the besieged city of Ilium, the feud between the gods, and the fate of mortals. Although the story covers only a few weeks in the final year of the war, the Iliad mentions or alludes to many of the Greek legends about the siege.This Homer is one of the celebrated Aldine octavo editions of Greek classics. Aldine Press was the printing office started by Aldus Manutius (1449 - 1515) in 1494 in Venice, from which were issued the famous Aldine editions of the classics. The Aldine Press is of great importance in the history of typography, among other things, for the introduction of italic typefaces. The press was the first to issue the classics in the compact octavo format. Their were intended as affordable and convenient volumes in handy formats, usually bound in vellum, that gentlemen of leisure could easily transport in a pocket or a satchel, much like modern paperbacks in their portability and ease of reading. The press issued 127 editions during the lifetime of Aldus. The press was continued after Aldus's death in 1515 by his wife and her father, Andrea Torresano of Asola, until his son Paolo took over.This 1524 reprints Aldus's 1504 dedication to Girolamo Aleandro (1480 - 1542). Aleandro was a brilliant Italian Renaissance scholar and, later, a cardinal. He was created cardinal in pectore on December 22, 1536 by Pope Paul III, the first cardinal appointed in pectore.Born at Motta, he studied at Venice, where he became acquainted with Erasmus and Aldus Manutius, and at an early age was reputed one of the most learned men of the time. He learned Hebrew from a Jewish refugee from Spain and Greek from Carteromachus and Musurus. Soon he was adding Arabic and Chaldee. He did editorial work on the Aldine Plutarch and helped Erasmus with the Adagia. In 1508 he went to Paris on the invitation of Louis XII as professor of belles lettres, and held for a time the position of rector in the university. Entering the service of Eberhard, prince-bishop of Liège, he was sent by that prelate on a mission to Rome, where Pope Leo X retained him, giving him (1519) the office of librarian of the Vatican. In the following year he went to Germany to be present as papal nuncio at the coronation of Charles V, and was also present at the diet of Worms, where he headed the opposition to Luther, advocating the most extreme measures to repress the doctrines o... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.