Books

Aldine anchor device to title & verso of last leaf. [32], 502, [2], 439, [1] p. (complete with blanks 24 & ii4). Two parts in one vol. Folio, 18th-century mottled calf (hinges rubbed & spine a trifle worn at head & foot), early shelf label to spine. Venice: Aldus Manutius, 1513. Editio princeps of Plato's works in the original Greek, one of the greatest Aldine publications, with a fine and appealing early American provenance. This book printed for the first time manuscripts of Plato's works newly discovered by Lascaris at Mount Athos in 1492, under the patronage of Lorenzo de Medici. It also features a remarkable preface by Aldus, in which he dedicates the book to Pope Leo X. He refers to the numerous expeditions to the Americas, Asia, and Africa undertaken in recent years. This copy was once in the library of Thomas Jefferson's son-in-law, Thomas Mann Randolph (1768-1828), the 21st governor of Virginia. Randolph married Martha Jefferson and moved into Monticello, where they were permanent residents. Manuscript annotations on the second flyleaf indicate that "W. Brand" purchased it at the sale of Randolph's library in Charlottesville in 1830; in 1841, Henry Bowers donated it to the American Antiquarian Society. At some point, the Society deaccessioned the book (recorded with "Sold by AAS" stamp beneath the original "AAS" stamp), which eventually entered the collection of Arthur and Charlotte Vershbow. A handwritten note - "ii" - to the foot of leaf 14 has been attributed to Aldus himself. There are contemporary annotations to the title-page and occasionally in the text, and a possible mark of ownership to the final leaf. Despite the slight dampstaining to the last 15 leaves or so, this is an exceptional copy with the distinguished provenance of American collectors.

Opera, in the context of Plato, refers to the collected works of the classical Greek philosopher. This collection includes various philosophical texts that have been central to Western philosophy.