Title: Noctes Atticae; seu, Vigiliae Atticae. Quas nunc primum a magno mendorum numero magnus veterum exemplarium numerus repurgauit, 1585. Containing the Often-Lacking Notes of Louis Carrion
Author: Aulus Gellius; Henri Estienne; Louis Carrion; Henricus Stephanus
Publisher: Parisiis, H. Stephanus
Condition: Fair
A late 16th century edition of Gellius’ famous Attic Nights, featuring annotations and commentaries from Henricus Stephanus, as well as Louis Carrion. Carrion’s notes were never completed, and most copies are without the 120 pages at the end comprising the notes to chaps. 1-25 of book. This particular copy happens to possess those commonly lacking pages. The owner’s name has been tooled to the covers, one Paschasius Dourie.
The work takes its name from having been started long winter nights he spent in Attica, later being continued and completed in Rome. The work was compiled from an Adversaria (commonplace book of the Roman era), unto which he noted down anything of import he had heard or discovered. From grammar, geometry, philosophy, and more, the Attic Nights were a massive compilation of various pieces of information.
Originally divided into 20 books, 19 survived in their complete state, save for the 8th, with only the index surviving. There are woodcut initials throughout of various designs. There is a contemporary ex libris inscription to the title page. There is an unknown coat of arms engraved to the covers.
There is an exlibris stamp for Cornwell House to the front endpaper.
One finely bound volume in octavo, (6)+23+587+(74)+16+(4)+205+120 pages
This volume is in fair shape, with rubbing and wear to the binding, and peeling and splitting to the spine and hinges, with some leather lacking to the head of the spine. There is some browning to the pages.