How to be a General.

Onosander. Strategicus- Στρατηγικός, Ονοσανδρου Στρατηγικοσ = Onosandri Strategicus sive de Imperatoris institutione liber ad cod. mss. fidem expressus et ex antiquorum tacticorum potissimum collatione notis perpetuis criticis emendatus nec non figuris aeri incisis illustratus. Acc. duo indices, unus rerum, alter verborum et locutionum Graecarum una cum versionbe Gallica Liberi Baronis de Zur-Lauben ... ad calcem libri adiecta. Cura et studio Nicolai Schwebelii ... Norimbergae & Paris Ex officiana Christiani de Launoy.; Chez Vincent , Impremieur-Libraire, rue S,Severin à l'Ange. 1761-2
Copper engraved frontispiece; [9] pp.158 ; pp.57. Folio. General Title; separate title for Le general d'armée par Onosander, ouvrage trad. du Grec par M. le Baron de Zur-Lauben. [Paris, Vincent, 1757]. 2 volumes bound in 1.
Full calf; [worn]
A new edition of Onosander, [ the Editio Princeps was published in 1599 ( see item 2990) and then re issued with additional notes in 1600 and 1619] . The text is bound with the French translation by the Baron De Zur- Luaben.
Graesse describes it as the best edition. Brunet states "On trouve dans cette édition des notes inédites de Jos.Scaliger et d'Is.Vossius, mais celles de Rigault n'y sont pas entières."
[We find in this edition unpublished notes of Jos.Scaliger and Is.Vossius, but those of Rigault are not whole].
Onasander's Strategikos is one of the most important treatises on ancient military matters and provides information not commonly available in other ancient works on Greek military tactics, especially concerning the use of the light infantry in battle. Copper engraved frontispiece; fold-out battle plan and full page illustration of siege weapons [ stain to upper edge.] Numerous vignettes within text of coins, weapons and battle plans. Full calf worn, lacks tail of spine. old ink owners inscription to front free end paper. old ink inscription to rear paste down.
End papers dusty and browned to edges, internally clean.
Graesse:5 p24; Brunet:5,188. 315 by 210mm (12½ by 8¼ inches).    €1000

The First English Edition of the Greek text of Pindar

Pindar-Πίνδαρος. Opera. ΠΙΝΔΑΡΟΥ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑ ΝΕΜΕΑ ΠΥΘΙΑ ΙΣΘΜΙΑ. Pindari Olympia, Nemea, Pythia, Isthmia. Una cum Latina omnium Versione Carmine Lyrico per Nicolaum Sudorium. Oxonii- Oxford E Theatro Sheldoniano 1697
Portrait, [17], pp497 (56,59-487) [42] [4] pp77 [1] Folio.
The first English edition of the Greek text edited by Richard West & Robert Welsted, fellows of Magdalen College.

Engraved portrait of Pindar by M. Burghers. facing the Title page. Dedication to the Marquess of Tavistock signed by the editors. Preface. Life of Pindar in Latin by Thomas Magister. Chronology of the Olympiads composed by the Bishop of Litchfield. Passages from various Greek Classical authors on Pindar including a fragment from Phlegon Trallianos Περί του Ολυμπιον, and notes from Suidas

Parallel Greek and Latin text, with a Latin prose paraphrase, Latin notes and scholia in Greek printed below.
After the Index is the Latin verse translation by Nicolas Le Sueur (1545-1594) Pindari Opera Omnia viz Olympia. Pythis, Nemea,& Isthmia . Latino carmine reditt per Nicolaum Sudorium in curia Parisiensis Inquisitionum Præsidem

Dibdin calls it "a beautiful and celebrated edition... on the whole, we must allow that the editors of this magnificent work have taken infinite pains to bring together every thing which could illustrate and improve the reading of the poet".
The editors compared the Mss held by the Bodleian with that of the Biblioteca Palatina. Engraved portrait of Pindar and large title page vignette by M. Burghers. Folio. full calf; gilt spine with 6 raised bands; corners slightly bumped; ex- libris to front pastedown.
Main body of text bright, crisp and clean
Prelims [ to end of table of Olympiads] and second part : Latin translation of Nicolas Le Sueur printed on slightly poorer quality paper and thus somewhat toned.
Graesse 5 p295; Brunet 4 p659; Dibdin II 289. 323 by 210mm (12¾ by 8¼ inches).    €2000

ΠΛΟΥΤΑΡΧΟΥ, ΑΠΟΦΘΕΓΜΑΤΑ.

Plutarch; Edited by M. Maittaire. ΠΛΟΥΤΑΡΧΟΥ, ΑΠΟΦΘΕΓΜΑΤΑ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΣΤΡΑΤΗΓΩΝ. ΑΠΟΦΘΕΓΜΑΤΑ ΛΑΚΩΝΙΚΑ ΤΑ ΠΑΛΛΙΑ ΤΩΝ ΛΑΚΕΔΑΙΜΙΟΩΝ ΕΠΙΤΗΔΕΥΜΑΤΑ, ΑΠΟΦΘΕΓΜΑΤΑ ΛΑΚΑΙΝΩΝ.
Plutarchi Apophthegmata Regum et Imperatorum. Apophthegmata Laconica. Antiqua Lacedæmoniorum Instituta. Apophthegmata Lacænarum. Londini. Gul. Darres & Claud. Dubosc. 1741
Large Quarto: (4)+96+107 pages.
Beautifully printed edition of works attributed to Plutarch printed in London. One of the essays of the Moraliathe Apothegmataor sayings of the kings and Spartans. Half calf over marbled boards, [marbled papers torn, revealing boards]. Title, prelims and page 1 toned ; light stain to edge and gutter of pages 5/6, 7; pages 33,
96-100 with light stains.; end papers toned.
Brunet IV, 747. Graesse 5: 358. 320 by 245mm (12½ by 9¾ inches).    €1200

The Editio Princeps of the First Five Books of Polybius.

Polybius; Vincentius Opsopoeus; Niccolò Perotti. ΠΟΛΥΒΙΟΥ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΠΟΛΙΤ ΟΥ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΩΝ ΒΙ ΒΛΙΑΕ.Historiarum libri quinq[ue]. ΠΟΛΥΒΙΟΥ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΠΟΛΙΤ ΟΥ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΩΝ ΒΙ ΒΛΙΑΕ
Historiarum libri quinq , opera Vincentiii Obsopoei in lucem editi. Iidem Latini Nicolao Perotto Episcopo Sipontino Interprete. Haganoae Iohannem Secerium March 1530
[4], 106 Bl ; 142. 2°
Woodcut initials and headpieces. Titles preceded by vine-ornament Text in Greek and Latin; each part separately foliated.
Editio princeps of the first 5 books, the only fully preserved portion of Polybius's history of the rise of the Roman empire from 220 to 146 B.C.; books 6-40 survive in fragmentary form.
The revival of interest in the study of Polybius was due to Pope Nicholas V (1447-1455), the founder of the Vatican Library. Soon after his election he seems to have urged Cardinal Perotti to undertake a Latin translation of the five books then known to exist.
On the 3d of January 1454 the Pope writes again to Perotti thanking him for the third book; and in a letter to Torelli, dated 13th November 1453, Perotti says that he had finished his translation of Polybius in the preceding September. This translation was first printed in 1473. The Greek text was not printed till this edition in 1530, the first five books in Greek, along with Perotti's translation. Dedicatory epistle by Vincentii Obsopaei to George, Marquess of Brandenburg, dated October 1529.

Johannes Secerium took over the publishing house of his father in law Thomas Anshelm in 1523, the company continued until 1534.

The inscription on the title page refers to the translation of Pompilius Amasaeus Dediversis rerum publicarum formis deque Romanae praestantia of the fragments from book VI (VI3-18 and VI43- 58). Contemporary limp vellum, lacking ties. Soiling to front free endpaper
Ink inscription to first free end paper and title. old ink under linings and annotations to margins of first 25 pages including drawing of the bow of a ship lower margin p5 and battle plan in lower margin p7.
Further annotations in Greek to first pages of Latin translation.
Light dampstain to Perotti's Latin translation.
Adams P-1801,Hoffmann III, 265; Sarton I, 188. 290 by 185mm (11½ by 7¼ inches).    €4500

Scapula Lexicon.

Scapulæ, Joannis. Lexicon GræcoLatinum Novum. Lexicon Græco-Latinum novum : in quo ex primitivorum & simplicium fontibus derivata atque composita (ordine non minùs naturali, quàm alphabetico,) breviter & dilucidè deducuntur. Cui appendix est exactissimus Græci idiomatis index oper & studio Ioannis Scapulæ. Ad hæc, auctarium extat dialectorum omnium à Iacobo Zvingero Phil. & Med. Basil. in expeditas succinctâsque tabulas compendiosè redactarum. Editio novissima, prioribus omnibus quibuscun[que] auctior, annexo copiosissimo Latino indice Laurentij Martij Palatini ... Huc accessit etiam lexicon etymologicum linguæ Græcæ ... Autore, Ioanne Harmaro ex celeberrima Academia Oxoniensi Londini London Typis T(homæ )H(arperi), T(homas )C(otes), and A(nne )G(riffin,) impensis Iocosæ Norton. & Richardi Whitakeri. Prostant ad Insignia Regia, in Cœmeterio D. Pauli, st. 1637.
Folio; 4 parts in 1:[12] p., 1856 columns, [187] p., 7-190 columns, [241] p.; [4] p., 64 columns;
Title page in red and black; the roman numeral date is made with turned C's. titles to each part with colophons.
Index Latinus (unpaginated, , ²A-²V) has separate dated title page with excudebat Tho. Cotes in imprint. Lexicon etymologicum linguae Graecae has separate register and dated title page with typis Annae Griffin in imprint.
Cotes and Griffin also pr[inted]. sections of pt.1
The colophon to Appendixis dated 1636 Apud Richardum Whittakerum

Later [19th century?] diced calf ; six raised bands gilt; marbled end papers,

The volume includes
Part!:Lexicon Græco-Latinum novum in 1856 columns, plus index;
Part 2 : Iacobi Zvingeri ... Græcarum dialectorum Hypotyposis& Apendixeorum Quae Insipso Lexico Commode;
Part 3: Index Latinos in Iohannis Scapulæ Lexicon Græco latinum.... Laurenti Martii Palatini;
Part 4:Lexicon Etymologicum Linguæ Græcæ ... Ioanne Harmaro


Joints with light rubbing; spotting to blank side of end papers; internally generally clean and crisp. rear inner joint starting.
Part 2; Appendix: ß1 & ß2 stuck together at inner gutter; ß5page loose, never stitched in.
Part 3 Index Latinus: tear to margin of G4 just touching textwith loss to blank margin but not text.
1 Clark's Bibliog. Dict. vol. IV.*-Balllet Jugemens.Morhoff Poly hist.;George Lillie Craik.The Pursuit of Knowledge Under Difficulties, Volume 8 page 161-3. 350 by 235mm (13¾ by 9¼ inches).    €850

Paulus Stephanus' Sophocles.

Sophocles ΣΟΠΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ ΑΙ ΕΠΤΣ ΤΡΑΓΩΔΙΑ. Sophoclis Tragoediæ Septem. una cum omnibus Græcis scholis, & Latina Viti Winsemi ad verbum Interpretatione. Quibus accessserunt Ioachimi Cameranij, necnon Henrici Stephani annotationes..., Geneva(Coloniæ Allobrogum) Excudebat Paulus Stephanus (Paul Estienne). 1603
Quarto: [4] 788p [16] 5p. 202p.[ 3]. 4 parts in 1 volume. Contemporary Vellum.

This edition, together with that of Euripides (1602) are considered to be the major printing achievements of Paul Stephanos.
"This is not a reprint of Henri's edition of 1578, but a much improved work: besides the commentaries of Camerarius, it includes the Annotations of Henri Estienne, which were not found in the earlier edition,( the) scholia of Triclinios and the Latin translation of Vitus Winsemius (Veit Oertel) "(Schreiber 273).

The dedicatory Epistle is by Paul Estienne. - Contains the sameworks as the previous edition. The scholia that accompany the text of each tragedy have the same starting title as in the edition of Henri Estienne of 1568. The following metric notes of Triclinius are not paginated. - The "Annotationes" of Henri Estienne and the "Commentatio" by Joachim Camerarius each have a title and particular pagination. Repair to head and foot of spine replacing portion of contemporary vellum; small loss of vellum to front board; stains; corners bumped; 2 worm holes to vellum of rear board.
Last 2 leaves [pages 49 &51] of Annotationes Henri Stephani misbound between Lllll1 and Lllll2 of the scholia of Tricliinios.
Poor quality 16th century paper [as usual], causing browning throughout, worse to rear; damp stain at lower gutter throughout;
lacks free endpapers.
Excised [inked over] ownership names to title[ stain continues on next page]; 4 holes to gutter of title page becoming 1 hole to first leaf of prelims.
Tear to margin of page 3 (Aii) just touching letter; occasional paper faults including lack of paper in margin as a result of the poor quality paper.
Hoffmann III, 415 • Renouard, Annales, 196 (12) • Schreiber, 220-21 (273) 240 by 170mm (9½ by 6¾ inches).    €2000

Themistius' Orations.

Themistius ΘΕΜΙΣΤΤΙΟΥ ΕΥΦΡΑΔΟΥΣ ΛΟΓΟΙ ΙΘ: Themistii Cognomento suade Orationes XIX Græce ac Latinè coninunctium editae Dionysius Petavius... Parisensis Apud MICHAELEM Sonnium, via Jacobæa, sun scuto Basilensis, 1618
4to.[24] pp729 (730) [14]. Greek and Latin text. Calf, rebacked ; boards worn.
Edition of Themistius publishing 19 of the Orationswith the translation and scholia of Petavius [ editor of the second edition Synesius 1633]. Recased with new spine, retaining original calf to boards. 4 raised bands.
Numerous handwritten notes by Geoffrey Barrow inserted at front also xerox of french text on Themistius [notes &c attached to front free end paper].
Library stamp to front free endpaper, title & 2 pages of the dedication, and to verso of last page.
Title soiled; some toning throughout.
Brunet:5,777; Graesse:6,112. 230 by 185mm (9 by 7¼ inches).    €1250

Thomas Gale's Mythological Anthology: Historiæ Poeticæ Scriptores Antiqui.

Thomas Gale, Editor. Historiæ Poeticæ Scriptores Antiqui. Historiæ Poeticæ Scriptores Antiqui. Apollodorus Atheniensis. Conon Grammaticus. Ptolomæus Hephæst.F. Parthenius Nicaaensis. Antonius Liberalis. græcè & latiné. Acessêre breves Notæ & Indices Necessrii. PArisiis Typis F. Muguet. Prostant apud. R. Scott, Biliopolam Londinensem. 1675
Small Octavo .[2], 56, 480, 158, [2], 62 p. of [ (2) 56, (16), 158, (2), 480, 62p] Lacks the 16 pages of Tabula, never bound in, but text complete.
[(Title), a8-d4; A4-OOo4; A8-K8; 62pp.]
Old vellum.
Greek & Latin in 2 columns. engraved head and tail pieces.
"Collection estimée" Brunet.

Gale's anthology of works, includes the Βιβλιοθήκη , also known as the Bibliotheca of Pseudo-Apollodorus, a compendium of Greek myths and heroic legends, arranged in three books, generally dated to the first or second century AD
The author was traditionally thought to be Apollodorus of Athens, but that attribution is now regarded as false, and so "Pseudo-" was added to Apollodorus.
never the less it has been called "the most valuable mythographical work that has come down from ancient times".
The first mention of the work is by Photius in the 9th century. It was almost lost in the 13th century, surviving in one now-incomplete manuscript, which was copied for Cardinal Bessarion in the 15th century.
Although the Bibliotheca is undivided in the manuscripts, it is conventionally divided into three books. Part of the third book, which breaks off abruptly in the story of Theseus, has been lost. Photius had the full work before him, as he mentions in his "account of books read" that it contained stories of the heroes of the Trojan War and the nostoi, missing in surviving manuscripts Generally clean copy; occasional toning and odd spotting, repaired paper fault, to lower margins of Rrii,Ssii,Ttii,Vvii,Xxii,Yyii, Zzii, AAaii; Printers crease to outer edge of NNniii just touching text. Despite lacking the 16 pages of Tables which the printer obviously discarded as they had no collation or pagination marks, the texts and Gale's notes and scholia, are complete.
Brunet:3 /227. 119 by 115mm (4¾ by 4½ inches).    €700

Thomas Gale's Anthology of of important ancient writings on mythology, legends, fables and parables: Opuscula Mythalogic

Thomas Gale, editor. Tyrannius Rufinus Aquileiensis, Translator Opuscula Mythalogica. Opuscula mythologica physica et ethica.Græce et latine. Seriem eorum sistit pagina præfationem proxime sequens. Amstelædami, apud H. Wetstenium. 1688.
Octavo.Additional engraved title, title printed in red and black. 16 p. 7-752, [8] p. [*8, **4, A-Aaa8, Bbb4].
Velum; Utrecht prize binding [without prize]
Contents include; Palaephati De incredibliibus historiis; Heracliti de Incredibilibus; Homeri Poetae Vita; Ocellus Lucanus Philosophus de Universi Natura; Sext Pythagorei Senteniae e Graeco in Latinum a Ruffiono versae; Ex quorundam Pythagoreorum libris Fragmenta, in quibus de Philosophia Morali agitur
First published at Cambridge in1671the anthology contains a significant collection of lesser-known and fragmentary classical verse including pieces from Heraclides, Palaephatus,Pythagoras and Theocritus. This second edition is revised and extended. Generally clean internally, occasional old ink annotations, Ink title; binding rubbed, ties missing.
195 by 119mm (7¾ by 4¾ inches).    €650