HOMERE Odysseia. Batrachomyomachia. Ymnoi.

Adams H-751 ; Müller, II, p. 287/198 ; Ritter, Histoire, p. 246 and following.

Beautifully executed edition in Greek, printed by the master printer Wolfgang Köpfel, active in Strassburg between 1522 and 1554. His print shop was one of the three most important (together with Mylius and Richel) during Reformation and Counterreformation. A skilled workman he finished his first Greek printings in 1524 (Psalter, followed by the Old Testament). In 1526 he was able to finish his Greek Bible, edited by Lonicer who praised Köpfel’s important work in his introduction (“qui, dans l’introduction, exalte les services rendus à la science par Köpfel”. Ritter, Histoire de l’imprimerie alsacienne aux XVe et XVIe siècles, p. 246).

“En 1525, en effet, Köpfel avait publié le texte grec de l’Illiade et de l’Odyssée. Il devait en donner par la suite trois rééditions, en 1534, 1542 et 1550″ (Ritter).

Important association copy, the only known lnown in private hands, having belonged to the 16th century Italian poet Matheo Bandello and bearing his signature on the title page Bandelli et Amicorum. Fiorato Adelin Charles describes 3 known books from Bandello’s library : “…parmi les trois ouvrages qui ont survécu à la disparition de sa bibliothèque, deux sont en grec. Le premier avait déjà été signalé par Francesco Picco comme étant connu de l’historien agenais Boudon de Saint-Amans : il s’agit d’une Odyssée d’Homère portant l’ex-libris Bandelli et Amicorum, formule que le conteur avait empruntée aux bibliophiles de la fin du XV siécle. Le second a été découvert, il y a quelques années par Carlo Godi à la bibliothèque de l’université catholique du Sacro Cuore de Milan : il s’agit de la grammaire grecque de Guarino de Vérone publiée à Ferrare le 23 juin 1509 chez Giovanni Mazzocchi de Bondeno” (Fiorato Adelin Charles, Bandello entre l’histoire et l’écriture, pag. 152).

Francesco Picco mentions a fourth volume in his essay Bandelli Et Amicorum, the De philosophia by Cicero, to which one must add the present copy of the 1542 Homer. Finally a fifth volume is today known, the Harmonia evangelica by Osiander Andreas, printed by Froben in Basel in 1537. This copy bears the signatures of Jean Fregoso and Bandello et Amicorum and is located in the municipal library at Bordeaux (G.F. 677 Rés.) having previously belonged to Montesquieu. Matteo Bandello (1485-1560) was, together with Ariosto, one of the most successful 16th century Italian poets outside of of Italy.

Very good copy of significant provenance.