De Secundo Bello Punico.

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Creator

Silius Italicus.

Title

De Secundo Bello Punico.

Publisher

Lyon: [Jacques Myt] for Barthèlemi Trot(h),

Date

January 1514.

Description

This pseudo-Aldine―the first Aldine Press edition would appear in July 1523―masquerades as an Aldine octavo in content, format, and typography. A striking feature of this copy is its physical state: forwarded (i.e., collated, sewn, and bound into pasteboard boards) but not finished (i.e., covered in leather or fabric). The book block has been sewn on three double-cord supports (a classic Italian indicator for small-format books), and all edges are tinted dark blue, a telltale Italian feature for medium-luxury books. So this book, printed and assembled in Lyon, was intended for shipment “back” into the Italian market, where it would be covered in a regional style, for local consumption.

Source

From the collection of H. George Fletcher.