Title: M.T. Ciceronis Epistolæ ad Atticum, Brutum, & Q. fratrem, 1546. An Early Cicero in an Original Italian Gilt Tooled Binding
Author: Marcus Tullius Cicero
Publisher: Lugduni, Apud Seb. Gryphium
Condition: Poor
A mid 16th century edition of the Letters to Atticus by Marcus Tullius Cicero, being a series of letters he wrote to his dear friend Titus Pomponius Atticus. The letters share Cicero's daily life in detail, and along with his other letters, have been long considered the most reliable sources of info for those twilight decades leading up to the fall of the Roman Republic.
This copy has been bound in a contemporary, Italian morroco leather binding, with gilt tooling and the title to the center, and is attributed to the atelier of master bookbinder Marcantonio Guillery, sharing the same tooling patterns and designs.
One finely bound volume in 16mo (12.4 7.5 cm), 784+(30 of 34) pages
The book is in poor shape with rubbing and wear to the binding, some loss to the head of the spine, and a crack to the rear hinge. The title page is detached. Pages 1 to 28 and 783 onwards are heavily worn with text loss, and there is scattered soiling and staining throughout. The last couple of index pages are lacking. The text to the rear cover has been scratched out as well.