VALERIUS MAXIMUS. Valerii Maximi Dictorum Factorumque Memorabilium Libri IX
Amsterdam: Typis Ludovici Elzeverii, 1650
£ 250
24mo (12 x 7 cm). 328 pp. [3]. A8-X4. Engraved title page, with four scholars and enthroned ruler in roman costume. Ex libris of Louis Dyer on top pastedown. Page 5 removed revealing the stub only. Slight browning and minimal foxing. Contemporary vellum; minor staining and foxing on biding. Faded manuscript inscription on spine. Good condition.
The book contains the Nine Books of Memorable Deeds and Sayings, a collection of historical anecdotes, by the roman historian Valerius Maximus (1st century AD). The Elzevier (Elzevir; Elsevier) family were the foremost printers of their time and were known for reprinting classics in small formats.
Two editions of this book were published in 1650. In the first one the last three pages are erroneously numbered 226, 227 and 228. This copy is the second edition of 1650 where the error is now rectified. This book was then republished in 1671.
Willems 1119.