ESTIENNE Henri Anthologia [Graece]. Florilegium diversorum epigramamtum veterum.

Renouard, 126:4; Schreiber, 159; Adams, A-1187.

First edition with extensive annotations and corrections by Henri Estienne, ‘typographer to the Fuggers’ as indicated on the title page. 

“Henri Estienne’s important edition of the Greek Anthology, which provided a much better text than any of its predecessors. For this edition Henri devised a system of diacritical marks ‘peculiar to himself’ (notae sibi peculiares) to denote various classes of proper nouns: e.g. persons and famous animals, nations and cities, mountains, and bodies of water; he also employs in the margins the symbol of the hand with pointing finger to call attention to gnomic expressions in the text – this was already used in the 1557 Aeschylus. The volume contains 154 pages of Annotationes by Estienne, who, in the course of these, gives a Latin translation of one epigram, and then provides 50 different alternate versions of the last distich ! In is preface the to the reader Henri claims that he performed this poetic tour de force in order to kindle the interest of young readers” (Schreiber).

Important Provenance

This beautiful volume has belonged to Jean-François-Paul Le Fèvre de Caumartin (1668-1732) and bears his coart of arms. He began his education at the abbey of Bouzai (diocese of Nantes) at the age of 7 on the resignation of his godfather, Cardinal de Retz. Dean of Tours cathedral, he was elected a member of the Académie française on 8 May 1694 and was made an honorary associate of the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres in 1701. His extensive library of over 9000 books and manuscripts was dispersed after his death.

A very fine copy, probably washed at the time of binding, with minor old restorations to the white margin of the title.