
THE BODONI PRESS
[
]
The Dedication Has
NOT Been Removed — The Folio EXTRA Format
(A BIG BODONI). Longinus. [title in Greek, romanized as] Dionysiou Logginou [sic] peri hypsous. Parmae: In Aedibus Palatinos Typis Bodonianis, 1793. Folio extra (43 cm, 17"). [1] f., xxviii, 113, [1 (blank)] pp.; [1 (blank)] f., [1] f., 89, [1 (blank)] pp. Lacks the initial blank and final blank.
$7500.00
Click the images for enlargements.
One of only two Bodoni editions of De Sublimitate, the other being the 1793 printing in quarto format. It is printed on laid paper with a Latin translation following the Greek text, each with a separate title.
Brooks reports “Copie 15 in carta sopraffina e 15 in carta d’Anonnay.” Brunet says the dedication to the pope “a été supprimée dans beaucoup d’exemplaires”; it is present here.
Binding: Contemporary navy morocco, spine with six raised bands — an ornate gilt fleuron decoration in five compartments and gilt lettering in two. The covers are decorated with a gilt center panel of rectilinear and curved tooling that is framed by a thicker blind-tooled and a single-ruled gilt border. The board edges are tooled with a gilt double fillet and the turn-ins with a lacy gilt tulip-like motif. All edges are gilt, endpapers marbled.
A lovely, solid binding.
Provenance: On the front pastedown, the bookplate of Brian Douglas Stilwell.
Searches of NUC and WorldCat locate only four U.S. libraries reporting ownership of this edition (Harvard, Kansas, University of Texas-HRHRC, Princeton Theological).
Brooks 507; Giani 44 (pp. 47–48). Binding as above, rubbing to extremities and to spine/joints; somewhat noticeable scrape to length of front board and bump to bottom edge, very small spot of discoloration to top edge of front board, small scrape to rear board and rubbing to fore-edge. Without the initial and final blanks (i.e., two blank leaves total). Provenance marks as above; occasional light foxing to leaves, interior otherwise in very nice condition. (40159)

A 30-Item One-Author Sampling of
Bodoni “Job Printing”
(A BUNDLE of BODONI)! Turchi, Adeodati. Collection of Bodoni editions of 30 works by Turchi. [Parma: Dalla Stamperia Reale], 1788–96. 12mo & 8vo. In 3 vols.
$2500.00
Click the images for enlargements.
30 different, very short works by Turchi, a Capuchin friar who rose to be Bishop of Parma, plus six duplicates of which two are incomplete. All are prime examples of job printing, executed in the same small elegant font, each page with the same border of type ornaments and a small composed ornament above that; present as below are expositions of faith and doctrine, pastoral letters, remissions and pardons, and many, many homilies. Some entries have, on their first page, a crisply neat rendering of the bishop's coat of arms.
Sermons, pastoral letters, and homilies are among the types of job printing that have provided necessary cash flow for all presses throughout time. And because of their ephemeral and narrow-interest nature combined with their short print runs, they tend to be among the scarcest productions of the Bodoni Press.
VOLUME 1: Epostola. 21 Septembris 1788 (Sallander No. 46); Indulto. 18 February 1789 (Sallander No. 51); Lettera pastorale. No date. (Brooks 1348); Omelia recitata al popolo. 1789, (Sallander No. 54); Indulto. 1790. (Sallander No. 55);Omelia. Recitata nel giorno di Pentecoste, 1790 (Sallander No. 56); Omelia. Recitata nel giorno dell' Assunzione di Maria Vergine. 1790 (Sallander No. 57); Omelia. Recitata al popolo nel giorno si San Bernardo. 1790 (Sallander No. 58); Indulto pubblicato. 1791 (Sallander No. 59); Omelia. Recitata nel giorno di Pentecoste, 1791 (Brooks 432); Omelia. Recitata nel giorni di Tutti li Santi. 1791 (Brooks 433); Omelia. Recitata nel giorno di San Bernardo, 1791 (Sallander No. 61); Indulto. Per la Quaresima. 1792 (Sallander No. 65).
VOLUME 2: Indulto. Per la Quaresima. 1792 (Sallander No. 65; second copy); Omelia. Recitara nel giorno di Pentecoste, 1792 (Sallander No. 66); Omelia. Recitata al suopopolo nel giorno di Tutti I Santi, 1792 (Brooks 498); Omelia. Detta al suo popolo nel giorno di San Bernardo, 1792 (Sallander No. 67); Indulto. La Quaresima. 1793 (Sallander No. 70); Omelia. Diretta al suo popolo nel giorno di Pentecoste. 1793 (Sallander No. 72); Omelia. Recitata al suo popolo nel giorno di Tutti I Santi, 1793 (Sallander No. 73); Omelia. Detta al suo popolo nel giorno di San Bernardo, 1793 (Sallander No. 74); Indulto. La Quaresima. 1794 (Sallander No. 76); Omelia. Recitata al suo popolo nel giorno di Pentecoste. 1794 (Sallander No. 77); Omelia. Recitata dopo la messa pontificale in lode del B. Bartolommeo di Breganze.1794 (Brooks 582); Omelia. Recitata al suo popolo nel giorno di Tutti I Santi, 1794 (Sallander No. 79); Omelia. Recitata al suo popolo nel giorno di San Bernardo, 1794 (Sallander No. 80); Indulto. La Quaresima. 1795 (Sallander No. 81).
VOLUME 3: Indulto. La Quaresima. 1793 (Sallander No. 70; second copy); Omelia. Detta al suo popolo nel Giorno di San Bernardo, 1793 (Sallander No. 74; second copy – incomplete, lacking two leaves containing pages 29 to 32); Indulto. La Quaresima. 1794 (Sallander No. 76; second copy – incomplete, lacking two leaves consisting of first blank leaf and title); Omelia. Recitata al suo popolo nel giorno di Pentecoste. 1794 (Sallander No. 77; second copy); Omelia. Recitata al suo popolo nel giorno di Tutti I Santi, 1794 (Sallander No. 79; second copy); Omelia. Recitata dopo la messa pontificale in lode del B. Bartolommeo di Breganze. 1794 (Brooks 582; second copy); Omelia. Recitata al suo popolo nel giorno di San Bernardo, 1794 (Sallander No. 80; second copy); Omelia. Recitata al suo popolo nel giorno di Pentecoste. 1795 (Sallander No. 82); Omelia. Recitata al suo popolo nel giorno di Tutti I Santi, 1795 (Sallander No. 83). Omelia. Recitata al suo popolo nel giorno di San Bernardo, 1794 (Sallander No. 84); Indulto. La Quaresima. 1796 (Sallander No. 86).
Two volumes in contemporary marbled boards, and one volume in boards with repurposed antique marbled paper, that volume with top edge gilt. Some pages are trimmed at foremargins, most not; vol. II retains a silk placemarker.
All volumes are clean, sound, and attractive. (40140)




Religion Defended, In Long Cantos &
Very Small Letters
Bernis, François-Joachim de Pierre de. La religion vengée. Poëme en dix chants. Parme: dans Le Palais Royal, 1795. 8vo (16.8 cm, 6.6"). [28], 243, [1] pp.
$225.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First edition, octavo variant from the Bodoni press: a ten-canto
philosophical defense in French against idolatry, atheism, materialism, and other woes of the modern age, written by the Cardinal de Bernis. Bodoni printed several different versions of this piece (folio on both paper and vellum, quarto, and octavo) in the same year, following Bernis's death in 1794. The dedications to Pope Pius VI and Louis XV are set in graceful italic and the verses in
exquisitely minute roman type.
Brooks 606; De Lama, II, 108–09; Giani 74 (p. 55). Contemporary half calf with speckled paper–covered sides, rebacked preserving much of the original spine including gilt-stamped leather title and publisher labels; minor overall wear. Marbled endpapers in two different colorways: front endpapers in blues and pinks, back endpapers in orange, pink, and blue. Page edges untrimmed. A very few small spots of foxing, pages overall clean and crisp.
A nice solid copy of this delightful printing. (40171)

Bodoni's Boethius Consolations of Philosophy
Boethius. Anicii Manlii Torquati Severini Boethii De consolatione philosophiae libri quinque ad optimarum editionum fidem recensiti. Parmae: Ex Regio Typographeo, 1798. Large 4to (31 cm, 12.2"). cxvi, 271, [1] pp.
$1250.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Magnificently restrained, dignified Bodoni printing of a classic and widely influential 6th-century philosophical discourse, here in Theodor Poelmann's Latin edition (the press having also produced an Italian translation in the same year) with a preface by Pietro Berti and a life of the author by Giulio Marziano Rota. Brooks describes this first Bodoni edition as “molto ben stampato.”Binding: 19th-century half brown morocco and brown and tan marbled paper–covered sides, signed binding done by R. David (gilt-stamped on lower front turn-in). Top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed.
Provenance: Front pastedown with circular bookplate of Sir Edward Sullivan, with robin and coronet crest above an interlaced monogram (front fly-leaf with affixed early inked slip noting this copy as no. 874 in the Sullivan sale of 1890); and with armorial bookplate of Alfred Cock (done by Harry Soane). Front free endpaper with bookplates of Brian Douglas Stilwell and Robert Wayne Stilwell, and with Wilson Library plate noting gift of Vincent M. O'Connor.
Brooks 724; Brunet, I, 1037; Schweiger, II, 34. Binding as above; joints and extremities rubbed, spine and corners more so. Bookplates as above. Endpapers with pencilled reference annotations, front fly-leaf with affixed slip as above. Pages very clean and crisp.
A handsome copy with impressive provenance. (40181)

Bodoni Press: Genesis in Italian Verse
Cerati, Gregorio [Gaetano Gerardo]. La genesi: Versione di Monsignor D. Gregorio Cerati, già vescovo di Piacenza. Parma: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1807. 8vo (15.5 cm, 6.1"). [2], lix, [3], 260, [4] pp.
$275.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First edition: Poetic retelling of key Old Testament events from the creation of the world through the deaths of Jacob and Joseph, by an author (1730–1807) who served as bishop of Piacenza from 1783 until his death. This Bodoni printing sets Cerati's terza rima in the press's typically restrained, minimalist style; the preface is dedicated “al chiarissimo Giambatista Bodoni” by Antonio Cerati.
Binding: Contemporary green morocco, spine with gilt-stamped floral motifs, covers bordered with gilt roll. Attractive marbled endpapers; original silk bookmarker present and attached.
Provenance: Front pastedown with armorial bookplate of Benedetto Grandi, a collector of books and antiquities, and with small early label marked “Attilio”; front free endpaper with bookplate of Dom Henri Quentin (1872–1935), philologist and editor of the Vulgate Old Testament.
Brooks 1018; Giani 180 (p. 72; apparent error in collation). Bound as above, lightly rubbed overall and spine sunned to olive. Scattered minor foxing; small signs of worming buried in gutters and other spots in inner margins with repairs done some time ago, with occasional minor adhering between pages at repair locations.
Solid and very readable; a pleasing copy. (40193)

Eminent Rhetorician Bodoni Printing
Cerretti, Luigi. Poesie. Parma: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1801. 8vo (16.1 cm, 6.33"). [2], 49, [1] pp.
$350.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Uncommon Bodoni edition: Verses from a Modena poet (1738–1808) who began his studies with the Jesuits before going on to a respected career as a professor — but one with a tumultuous personal and political life. “The purity and elegance of his diction made [Cerretti] at an early age, the most distinguished professor of rhetoric and oratory in Italy. His ‘Poems and Select Prose,’ collected into a posthumous volume, were instantly successful, and have retained their rank ever since” (Charles Dudley Warner). This is
the first and only appearance of any of Cerretti's work from the prestigious Bodoni press (with the title-page here giving the author's name as Ceretti).A search of WorldCat finds only five U.S. institutions reporting holdings (Harvard, Southern Methodist, University of Oregon, University of Texas, University of Wisconsin).
Provenance: Front pastedown with bookplates of Robert Wayne Stilwell and Brian Douglas Stilwell.
Brooks 804; De Lama, II, 142; Giani 134 (p. 65). Contemporary limp marbled boards, spine with original printed paper label upside down at foot of spine; lightly rubbed overall, spine slightly darkened. Endpapers with pencilled bibliographic annotations, front pastedown with early inked numeral and tiny inscription. Page edges untrimmed, a few with chips and some with lightest dust-soiling; a very attractive little item. (40183)

Judith & Holofernes — A “Last-Era” Bodoni
Di Calboli Paulucci, Francesco. La Giuditta: Canti del marchese Francesco di Calboli Paulucci fra gli Arcadi Euricrate Acrisioneo; membro ordinario Dell'Accademia Italiana, ecc. Parma: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1813. Large 4to (31.9 cm, 12.56"). [8], xiii, [3], 207, [1] pp.
$425.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First edition: A lengthy verse retelling of Judith's triumph in a large handsome font, two verses to a broad page, dedicated to Maria Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Massa. Bodoni began the preparation of this edition, and Luigi Orsi finished it after his death; one of his final works, this impressive large quarto embodies
the later, absolutely unadorned Bodoni aesthetic.
A search of WorldCat finds only seven U.S. institutions reporting ownership.
Brooks 1146; De Lama, II, 218–19. Contemporary speckled paper–covered boards, framed in single blind roll, spine with later gilt-stamped red leather title and publisher labels; spine darkened, edges and extremities chewed, back joint starting from head and foot. Front pastedown showing small line of adhesion from now-absent affixed label. A very few faint spots of foxing only, indeed happily few as Bodoni productions can go; internally, an attractive, wide-margined example, with its page edges untrimmed. (40201)

Bodoni Poetry
Doricleo, Silvino [pseud. of Giuseppe Bonvicini]. Pensieri poetici. Parma: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1797. 4to (31 cm, 12.25"). [8], 31, [1] pp.
$300.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Uncommon first edition: 28 poems from a Parma lawyer, in
a large, handsome Bodoni quarto with the verses set in elegant italics.Provenance: Front pastedown with bookplates of Robert Wayne Stilwell and Brian Douglas Stilwell.
Brooks 672; De Lama, II, 124; Giani 102 (p. 59). Modern quarter brown morocco and marbled paper–covered boards, spine with gilt-stamped title; traces of wear to front joint and extremities. Title-page with spot of staining affecting final two letters of epigraph from Vergil, carrying through to first dedication leaf; foxing in the variable degrees typical of so many Bodoni productions. Clean and solid; page edges untrimmed. (40177)

History of Rome in Both Latin & Italian —Bodoni Press
Eutropius; Giuseppe Bandini, trans. Il compendio della storia romana di Flavio Eutropio recato di latino in italiano. Parma: Dalla Tipografia Ducale, 1828. 8vo (22.6 cm, 8.9"). xxii, 354, [2 (errata)] pp.
$250.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First edition of Bandini's Italian translation of the Breviarium historiae romanae, Eutropius's widely read history of Rome, as well as the first appearance from the Bodoni-run ducal press, at the time of this printing under the supervision of
Margherita Dall’Aglio, Giambattista Bodoni's widow. The text, which includes the original Latin set in italics beneath each section of Italian, is crisply printed on notably heavy paper — “molto bene stampato,” as Brooks puts it.This Bodoni production is now uncommon, with searches of WorldCat finding
only three U.S. institutions (University of Illinois, University of Kansas, Yale) reporting holdings.
Provenance: Front pastedown with bookplates of Brian Douglas Stilwell and Robert Wayne Stilwell.
Brooks 1298. Contemporary quarter brown morocco and marbled paper–covered sides, spine with gilt-stamped title and acanthus motifs; binding rubbed. Very minor spots of foxing to title-page, wide-margined pages otherwise clean. (40205)

Poems of Town, Country, & Church from the
Bodoni Press
Giordani, Luigi Uberto. Versi di Luigi Uberto Giordani. Parma: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1809. 8vo “piccolo” (17.3 cm, 6.8"). 4 vols. in 2. I & II: [8], 99 (9-16 supplied twice), [9], 103, [1] pp. III & IV: [2], xx, 133, [7], 123, [1] pp.
$250.00
Click the images for enlargements.
SOLE EDITION, Bodoni printing: Verses from a poet-lawyer (1753–1818) known in his day both as an orator and as a jurist who taught criminal law at the University of Parma, now remembered primarily as the author of the funeral oration for Ferdinand, Duke of Parma. The first two volumes comprise four pieces “fatti in Villa” (“Il Monte,” “Il Bosco,” “Il Colle,” and “Il Torrente”), and four pieces “fatti in Città” (“Il Teatro,” “Le Tombe,” “Il Passeggio,” and “Il Foro”), while the third volume offers psalm translations (with
Latin and Italian given on facing pages) and the fourth a collection of miscellaneous poems. The author's dedication (“Agli amici l'autore”) is set in a beautiful rounded italic, and the main text in a minute but legible roman.
Provenance: Front pastedowns each with bookplate of Robert Wayne Stilwell.
Brooks 1063; De Lama, II, 187; Giani 189 (p. 74). Modern full crimson morocco, covers framed in single gilt fillet, spines with gilt-stamped title and volume numbers, gilt-dotted raised bands, and gilt-stamped floral decorations in compartments, in a matching cloth slipcase; original paper spine labels for the four volumes affixed to front pastedowns. Page edges untrimmed; one leaf in vol. I with chip out of lower margin and with signature 2 (pp. 9–16) bound in twice. A very few scattered small spots to first three volumes, fourth volume slightly more noticeably so affected, pages overall clean and crisp.
A handsome set. (40196)

Bodoni Edition: “All' Amica” “Il Rossetto” “La Chitarra” & Other Poems
Giusti, Giovanni Battista. Versi di Gio. Batista Giusti. Parma: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1801. 16mo (13.3 cm, 5.23"). [2], 67, [1] pp.
$150.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Twelve pieces from a
Bolognese engineer, scientific instrument maker, and amateur poet in a graceful, petite 16mo variant printed in the same year as the Bodoni quarto first edition.
Provenance: Front pastedown with bookplates of Brian Douglas Stilwell and Robert Wayne Stilwell.
Brooks 818; De Lama, II, 145; Giani 141 (p. 66). Contemporary marbled paper–covered boards, spine with hand-inked paper label, rubbed and fadedl; front joint cracked with spine wanting to pull away from text block although still attached. Back pastedown with small inked annotation and pencilled collation note. Scattered minor foxing, two pages with light offsetting from now-absent laid-in item, pages overall clean with untrimmed edges.
An uncommon Bodoni production. (40185)

A Variation on One of Bodoni's Greatest Hits
Horatius Flaccus, Quintus. Q. Horatii Flacci Opera. Parmae: Ex Regio Typographeo, 1793. 8vo (22.5 cm, 8.85"). [2], xxi, [1], 376 pp.
$1000.00
Click the images for enlargements.
This first octavo Bodoni printing of Horace preserves the famously austere title-page setting of the legendary 1791 folio edition. It is less commonly seen than the quarto edition which came from the Bodoni press in the same year, with De Lama and Brunet not citing it at all; Schweiger notes that
only 200 copies were printed.
Binding: Contemporary red English straight-grain morocco, covers framed with a Greek key roll surrounding a border composed of arabesque and floral tools around a central gilt-ruled panel cornered with sunburst ornaments; spine sympathetically gilt extra using greek keys, sunbursts, and fleurons. Board edges and turn-ins with gilt roll of a rope design, all edges gilt. Original green silk bookmark present and attached.Provenance: Front pastedown with armorial bookplate of George Henry Cherry; front fly-leaf with early stamped inscription (strongly resembling handwriing) of Vernon J. Watney, Cornbury (author of Cornbury and the Forest of Wychwood).
Brooks 494; Giani 37 (p. 46); Schweiger, II, 413. Not in Brunet, not in De Lama. Binding as above; joints, spine, and extremities lightly rubbed, sides with a few small spots of minor darkening. First and last pages mildly foxed.
One of Bodoni's most neoclassically restrained productions, in a rather less restrained binding. (40156)

Required Reading — Impeccable Printing
La Rochefoucauld, François, duc de. Maximes et réflexions morales du duc de la Rochefoucauld. Parme: De L'Imprimerie Bodoni, 1811. Large 4to (32.1 cm, 12.6"). [10], xxxii, 175, [1] pp.
$1750.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Bodoni edition of a classic of the genre: Rochefoucauld's dry, pragmatic observations on human nature — at the time of this printing, a mandatory entry in any well-bred philosopher's library. Bodoni produced two separate editions in this same year, the present example being
one of only 255 copies printed in the quarto format, which Brooks considers equally attractive as that in folio.
Provenance: Front pastedown with small oval blue-paper label lmbossed in gold with a monogram of “PB,” and with bookplates of Robert Wayne Stilwell and Brian Stilwell.
Searches of NUC and WorldCat locate only four U.S. libraries (Wesleyan, Boston University, Johns Hopkins, The Bridwell) reporting ownership of this quarto format edition.
Brooks 1105; Brunet, III, 846; De Lama, II, 199; Giani 199 (p. 77). Contemporary quarter vellum and Bodoni orange paper–covered boards, spine with gilt-ruled bands and gilt-stamped leather title and date labels; corners and edges much rubbed, sides with light scuffing, vellum slightly darkened. Bookplates as above; front free endpaper with small oval of offsetting from monogram label. Occasional faint foxing, pages overall giving a clean, fresh impression. (40200)

Bodoni Homage to
Adam Albert von Neipperg, Duke of Parma
Maestri, Ferdinando. Elogio di S. E. il conte Alberto Adamo di Neipperg letto da Ferdinando Maestri agli uffici funebri celebrati nell'oratorio di San Quirino dalla ducale Accademia de' Filarmonici il 27 marzo 1829. Parma: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1829. 8vo (19.4 cm, 7.63"). 46, [2] pp.
$250.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Funerary tribute to the Austrian soldier and diplomat who became Duke of Parma following his marriage to Marie Louise, Napoleon's second wife. This is the first octavo Bodoni edition, printed in the same year as the press's folio version. A contemporary reviewer summed up this production as”Elegante edizione: elegante discorso" (Antologia, 1829).Provenance: Front pastedown with bookplate of Henry Tschudy, depicting an angel bearing a book.
Brooks 1305. Later morocco-backed pastepaper-style paper–covered boards, spine label of tobacco-colored leather with gilt-stamped author and title; very minor rubbing to extremities only. Pages with a few very faint spots of foxing, in fact
very notably clean and fresh. (40206)

A Printer's Copy
Magnani, Antonio. Orazione recitata nell'Istituto delle Scienze di Bologna per la distribuzione de' premj solita farsi agli studiosi delle arti del disegno. Parma: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1794. Large 4to (31 cm, 12.2"). [6], LXVIII (i.e., LXX) pp.
$450.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Bodoni printing of this speech on the state of the fine arts in Italy, delivered at an award ceremony at the Accademia delle scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna and dedicated to Cardinal Archetti. Bodoni produced the only two editions of the speech ever printed, one in folio and one in quarto, the present copy being an example of the latter. The main body of the text is set in italics and the annotations in roman.
Provenance: Front pastedown with very attractive red and black bookplate of the printer-publisher Henry Tschudy; earlier 20th-century cataloguing (H.P. Kraus) laid in.
Brooks 534; De Lama, II, 92-93. 19th century plain paper–covered boards evoking vellum, spine with printed paper label; small spot of light discoloration to lower inner portion of front cover, extremities rubbed. Page edges untrimmed; one outer margin with paper flaw.
A clean, wide-margined copy with an appealing provenance. (40164)

Bodoni: Poems of “Armonide Elido”
Mazza, Angelo. Opere. Parma: Per Giuseppe Paganino, 1816–19. 8vo (21.4 cm, 8.42"). 5 vols. I: Frontis., xx, 182 pp. II: 192 pp. III: 206 pp. IV: 180, [2] pp. V: 198 pp.
$350.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Collected verse from a Parma-born scholar and poet. Mazza (1741–1817), who as a member of
the Academy of Arcadia used the name Armonide Elideo, was known for translating Dryden, Gray, and Thompson into Italian as well as for his own poems. This
Bodoni-printed five-volume set comprises two volumes of sonnets, two of “sciolti,” and one of stanzas and odes; it does not include the dedication found in the quarto edition printed at roughly the same time, but does feature the frontispiece portrait of the author engraved by Giovanni Rocca.
Bindings: Contemporary half calf and and marbled paper–covered sides, leather edges ruled in gilt, spines with gilt-stamped title and volume numbers, and with gilt-tooled raised bands and blind-tooled compartments, making a striking effect. All edges marbled; original silk bookmarks present and attached.
Provenance: From the collection of Brian Douglas Stilwell, sans indicia.
Brooks 1183; Brunet 16403. Bindings as above; minimal shelfwear overall, one spine head chipped. Vol. I: first few leaves with very light waterstaining across lower corners, not approaching frontispiece image or type; last few leaves with lightest imaginable waterstaining to lower halves . Vol. III: short tear in oute margin of one leaf. Vol. V: title-page with sprinkling of tiny spots; one page with small ink smear.
A clean and handsome set. (40203)

Bodoni: Poems of “Armonide Elido,” Large Quarto Edition
Mazza, Angelo. Opere. Parma: Per Giuseppe Paganino, 1816–20. Large 4to (12.75", 32.38 cm). 5 vols. I: xxii, 178 pp. II: 189, [1] pp. III: 204 pp. IV: 172, [2] pp. V: Frontis., 194 pp.
$400.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Collected verse from a Parma-born scholar and poet, in an edition of imposing size and elegance. Mazza (1741–1817), who as a member of the Academy of Arcadia used the nom de plume Armonide Elideo, was known for translating Dryden, Gray, and Thompson into Italian as well as for his own poems. This
Bodoni-printed five-volume set comprises two volumes of sonnets, two of “sciolti,” and one of stanzas and odes; it includes
a dedication not found in the octavo edition printed at roughly the same time, and features a frontispiece portrait of the author engraved by
Giovanni Rocca.
Brunet calls the author “un des plus beaux génies de l'Italie, au XVIIIe siècle,” and Brooks praises this set of his works as “magnificamente stampato.” The page edges of this copy are untrimmed.
Provenance: Front pastedowns each with bookplate of private collector Brian Douglas Stilwell.
Brooks 1182; Brunet, III, 1562. Original “Bodoni” orange paper–covered boards with printed paper spine labels, rubbed (notably at extremities) and dust-soiled with spines mottled; vol. II rebacked (supplying hand-inked facsimile of original spine label), and some volumes variously lacking free endpapers (vol. II front, vol. III both, vols. IV and V rear), vol. V with publisher's advertisement, including prices, on front pastedown. Old cataloguing slip laid in. Scattered, minimal foxing only; pages untrimmed and overall pleasingly clean.
A desirable quintet from this press. (40202)

TWO First Editions, One Bodoni-Printed
Melesigenio, Euforbo (pseud. of Tommaso Valperga di Caluso). Omaggio poetico di Euforbo Melesigenio P. A. alla serenissima altezza di Giuseppina Teresa di Lorena. Parma: Nel Regal Palazzo Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1792. 8vo (19.2 cm, 7.55"). [4], 84, [12] pp. [bound with] Melesigenio, Euforbo (pseud. of Tommaso Valperga di Caluso). Libellus carminum. Taurini: Ex Typographia Regia, 1795. 8vo. 31, [1] pp.
$550.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Valperga di Caluso (1737–1815) studied physics, mathematics, theology, and philosophy as well as serving as a naval officer, mastering multiple languages (and writing First Lessons of Hebrew Grammar), teaching at the University of Turin, and publishing a number of both scientific and literary works. The present volume contains two first editions of his, the first of which is
a Bodoni printing of six pieces in poetic tribute to Marie Joséphine Thérèse de Lorraine, Princess of Carignano (1753–97), herself a writer, prominent salonnière, and member of the Italian literary circle that included Valperga di Caluso and Vittorio Alfieri; the final item of the six offers the
Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Italian inscriptions from the funerary monument of the princess's beloved pet dog. Brooks describes this Bodoni production as “libro molto grazioso con fleuron sul titolo” — referring to the refined typography and to the engraved vignette with a garland of roses enclosing the motto “Deh sia, se 'l canto men, l'ossequio accetto.”
Following the Omaggio poetico is the first appearance of Valperga di Caluso's Libellus carminum, 15 poems in Latin including one to his friend Alfieri, published (as was the former item) under the pseudonym the author preferred for his literary works.
According to Renouard's 1794 catalogue of Bodoni imprints, the edition of Omaggio poetico was limited to 210 copies; it is now relatively uncommon in the U.S., with the Turin-printed Libellus carminum even more so — a search of WorldCat fails to locate
any American institutional holdings of the latter.
Binding: Contemporary mottled calf; spine gilt-extra, with gilt-stamped red leather title-label, board edges with distinctive gilt roll. Stone pattern marbled paper endpapers; all edges carmine.
Brooks 458; De Lama, II, 74; Giani 28 (p. 44). Bound as above: spine with spots of worming and head chipped, these affecting appearance remarkably little; otherwise light wear, small scuffs. Front and rear free endpapers with pencilled bibliographical annotations. One leaf with paper flaw in outer margin, not touching text.
Of interest both for Bodoni's usual elegance in printing and for the contents' connections to some of the most eminent figures of Italian belles-lettres of the day. (40151)

Bodoni Printing with
Portrait of the Author
Melloni, Giovanni Battista. Saggio di discorsi familiari. Parma: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1796. 8vo (16.8 cm, 6.61"). [8], 261, [3 (index)] pp.
$250.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Uncommon sole edition: Theological discourses from a Bolognese priest (1713–81) known for his hagiographical and biographical works. This handsome Bodoni printing, edited and introduced by the author's nephew Giuseppe Michele Melloni, bears a stipple-engraved portrait of the author on its title-page.
Binding: Signed modern diced red morocco, spine with gilt-stamped title and gilt-decorated compartments, covers framed in floral roll (matching roll on turn-ins), elegant stiff marbled endpapers. Top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. Binding with Volkert's gilt stamp on back turn-in; volume in custom coordinated slipcase.
Brooks 630; De Lama, II, 114; Giani 78 (p. 56). Not in Brunet. Bound as above, slipcase with minor shelfwear; joints of volume with lightest traces of rubbing. A few pages with light waterstaining to upper outer corners (only)and other, darker but limited staining to a few others; occasional spots of mild foxing. A handsome copy. (40173)

A Popular Tragedy, from the Bodoni Press
(A Discrepancy in States, the AUTHOR's Fault??)
Monti, Vincenzo. Aristodemo, tragedea. Parma: Dalla Stamperia Reale, 1786. 4to (27.3 cm, 10.74"). Frontis., [10], 130, [2 (blank)] pp.
$950.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First edition: Striking Bodoni printing of a classically inspired tragedy, limited to 160 copies and presented
very handsomely in large type with wide margins. Written in 1784, the play premiered at the Ducal Theater of Parma in the same year of this first publication. Although Giani suggests that there was one printing of 136 pages and another of 132 (not affecting the text, and without any plausible reason as far as he could tell), neither Brooks nor de Lama makes such a distinction — the discrepancy may be related to the author's having made numerous textual corrections right up until the last minute, perhaps reflected in the two cancel leaves in this copy.
The dramatic copper-engraved frontispiece was done by Barbazza after Mazzoneschi.
Binding: 19th-century dark blue and tan floral pastepaper–covered boards, gilt-stamped red leather title-label on spine; all edges gilt.Provenance: Pastedown and front free endpaper with bookplates of Brian Douglas Stilwell and Robert Wayne Stilwell.
Brooks 312; De Lama, II, 40; Giani 31 (p. 92); Graesse, III, 592. Bound as above, corners and spine extremities rubbed not reducing handsome effect. Title-page with light offsetting from frontispiece and light smudges in outer margin; otherwise, scattered spots of light foxing and a few small stains, some leaves with faint creasing.
A clean and attractive copy. (40131)

Bodoni Press & Dedicated to NAPOLEON
Monti, Vincenzo. Il bardo della Selva Nera poema epico-lirico. Parte prima. Parma: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1806. 8vo (21.6 cm, 8.5"). [4], viii, [2], 100, [2] pp.
$525.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First Bodoni octavo printing of this epic verse extolling Napoleon's military accomplishments. The poet (1754–1828) changed his colors several times during the course of his career, at first lauding the pope in a number of works before renouncing that conviction in favor of temporarily supporting first the French Revolution and then Napoleon (who rewarded him with a professorship at the University of Pavia), and, later still, after Napoleon's downfall, switching his allegiance from the French to the Austrians. Here, drawing not only on Neoclassical tropes but also on Ossian for literary inspiration, Monti describes Napoleonic triumphs including the Battle of Ulm, the Egyptian campaign, the coup d'état of 1799, and the Battle of Austerlitz.
In 1806, Bodoni printed the six existing cantos (the proposed second and third parts of the poem were never published) in three forms: folio, quarto, and octavo, with the present octavo example
nicely displaying the press's typical restraint and grace. None of the three Bodoni editions are common; only two U.S. institutions report holding copies of this octavo format (UC-Berkeley, Southern Methodist).
Brooks 999; De Lama, II, 171; Giani 176 (p. 71); Graesse, IV, 592. 19th-century treed paper–covered sides with red morocco shelfback, spine with gilt-stamped title and decorative bands; small scuffs to sides, spine with small chip and extremities/edges rubbed with edges lightly sunned; front hinge (inside) opening across paper in part but volume strong. Front pastedown with traces of paper adhesions.
An unusual Bodoni item, with pleasingly wide margins. (40190)

Napoleonic Bodoni . . . QUARTO
[Monti, Vincenzo]. Il bardo della Selva Nera Poema epico-lirico. Parte prima. Parma: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1806. Large 4to (30.6 cm, 12.06"). [4], viii, [2], 127, [3] pp.
$600.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Impressive Bodoni quarto edition — the first in this format — of this epic lyric poem, dedicated to Napoleon and extolling his military accomplishments.
In 1806, Bodoni printed the six existing cantos (the proposed second and third parts of the poem were never completed) in three forms: folio, quarto, and octavo, none of which are now common.
The unadorned text of the present version makes a still understated but real impact at this size.
Brooks 998; De Lama, II, 170; Giani 176 (p. 71). 19th-century brown calf–backed marbled paper–covered boards, spine tooled in gilt and blind with gilt-stamped coronet-surmounted coat of arms at foot (appears to incorporate the arms of Tobarra, Spain); moderate rubbing to spine, joints, and edges. Hinges (inside) with sections showing insect damage, but holding. Page edges uncut. A few instances of light foxing, confined to margins and less than might be expected.
An attractive example. (40189)

Last & Smallest Bodoni Edition
[Monti, Vincenzo]. Il bardo della Selva Nera Poema epico-lirico. Parte prima. Parma: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1806. 8vo (16.1 cm, 6.3"). [4], x, [2], 96, [2] pp.
[SOLD]
Click the images for enlargements.
First Bodoni “piccolo ducale” printing of this epic verse extolling Napoleon's military accomplishments.
In 1806, Bodoni printed the six existing cantos (the proposed second and third parts of the poem were never published) in four forms: folio, quarto, and two different octavo formats, with this final Bodoni version
nicely displaying the press's skill with smaller types.
None of the Bodoni editions are common.
Provenance: Front pastedown with bookplate of Carlo Antonio Dotti, Milan; front free endpaper with Dotti's pencilled inscription.
Brooks 1000; De Lama, II, 171; Giani 176 (p. 71). Contemporary hand-decorated paper-covered boards with title inked on front board and publisher information on back, and both inked on spine; spine darkened and worn, sides with spots of discoloration, decorative blue paper bands slightly faded. Front pastedown with bookplate as above and with affixed slips of older cataloguing; front free endpaper with inscription as above and inked bibliographic notes, and with offsetting from pastedown items. Page edges untrimmed; variable foxing and soiling.
An intriguing copy. (40191)
For more of MILITARY/NAVAL interest, click here.
For NAPOLEANA, click here.



Bodoni First Edition: Enduring Sickness Cheerfully
Pasta, Giuseppe. Del coraggio nelle malattie. Trattato. [Parma: Giambattista Bodoni], 1792. 8vo (23.1 cm, 9.09"). [4], xvi, 106 pp.
$500.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First edition of this treatise on the art of maintaining courage and optimism during illness — an early look at the impact of patients' psychological states on their physical condition. In addition to practicing medicine in Bergamo, Italy, Pasta (1742–1823) was the author of literary pieces including the poem “La Musica Medica,” as well as a volume of rules of etiquette for doctors. Here, in addition to assessing the impact of temperament, education, faith, etc. on an individual's ability to withstand bodily affliction, he suggests that music, wine, opium, and good company may improve recovery. The text is presented in Bodoni's usual restrained, distinguished style.
Brooks 469; Blake, NLM 18th Century, p. 340; De Lama, II, 77. Modern light blue paper–covered boards with dark blue morocco corner tips and shelfback, spine lettered in gilt; very slight fading to outer edges of boards, otherwise showing virtually no wear. Pages wide-margined, with speckling to first and last leaves and dust-soiling at untrimmed edges; first two leaves with limited light crescent of staining at gutter, those leaves and a few more with light speckles, a few leaves with paper flaws of various sorts. (40153)

Bodoni Poesie
Pindemonte, Ippolito. Poesie. Parma: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1800. 8vo (15.7 cm, 6.18"). 2 vols. in 1. [2], 94, [4], 142, [4] pp.
$250.00
Click the images for enlargements.
“Bella edizione,” per Giani, of these
28 pieces from a noble-born Veronese poet and translator much acclaimed in his day. The crisp, restrained typesetting nicely displays Bodoni's signature aesthetic.
Binding: Contemporary vellum, spine with all-over gilt-stamped pattern and three gilt-stamped leather labels. Deep blue endpapers, and all edges gilt.
Brooks 782; Giani 130; De Lama, II, 141. Bound as above; faintest dust-soiling to vellum, spine slightly darkened. Front pastedown with elegant, 19th-century French bookseller's label.
A lovely little book, notably clean and unfoxed. (40182)

A Landmark of 15th-Century Poetry,
from a
Landmark Press
Poliziano, Angelo. Le stanze di messer Angelo Poliziano di nuovo pubblicate. Parma: Nel Regal Palazzo Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1792. Large 4to (30.8 cm, 12.12"). [4], xv, [1], 60 pp.
$750.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Born Angelo Ambrogini but commonly known as either Poliziano or Politian[us], this author tutored the children of Lorenzo de' Medici, taught at the University of Florence, and not only translated Latin and Greek classics but also produced significant poems of his own in both Latin and Italian. His writings were read and praised by Erasmus, Pico della Mirandola, Battista Guarini, and many other eminent scholars of the Renaissance — with Erasmus going so far as to make use of Poliziano's Epistolae (as they were originally titled) for his Adagia. The present piece, a verse tribute to Giuliano de' Medici, was unfinished in Poliziano's lifetime and some debate has ensued over the joust referenced in the name commonly given for the poem, Stanze per la giostra.
Here, the two existing books of the Stanze are handsomely presented in a dignified Bodoni production dedicated to Count Cesare Ventura, whose coat of arms appears as part of a large engraved vignette. Brunet states that
only 162 copies were printed.
Provenance: Bookplates of Wilfred Merton, Robert Wayne Stilwell, and Brian Douglas Stilwell.
Brooks 451; Brunet, IV, 783; De Lama, II, 71–72; Giani 23 (p. 43). 19th-century half brown mottled sheep and marbled paper–covered boards, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label and gilt-ruled raised bands; extremities rubbed. Front pastedown with bookplates as above and with pencilled reference notes; some foxing or other spotting/soiling intermittently; a volume overall clean and pleasing. (40150)

Singing the Praises of the Immortal Jenner: Vaccination Verse
Ponta, Gioachino. Il trionfo della vaccinia: Poema. Parma: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1810. 8vo (21.8 cm, 8.58"). [12], 302 pp.
[SOLD]
Click the images for enlargements.
Sole edition: An epic poem inspired by Jenner's smallpox vaccine, here in
a handsome Bodoni printing that consisted of just 250 copies, with a dedication to Joseph Bonaparte. This 104-verse tribute — with each canto followed by lengthy annotations — covers the history of smallpox, as well as the efforts of other scientists and physicians, in the course of paying tribute to Jenner and his accomplishments.Provenance: Front pastedown and free endpaper with bookplates of Brian Douglas Stilwell and Robert Wayne Stilwell.
Brooks 1088; Giani 193 (p. 75). Not in Brunet. Cream paper–covered boards, spine with gilt-stamped red leather title-label; front board with upper inner and lower outer corners bumped. Several instances of variable foxing, with title-page and final page more noticeably spotted; six leaves each showing small stain from now-absent organic(?) material.
Solid, overall clean copy of this interesting medico-literary Bodoni production. (40197)

Early Christian Poet Bodoni Printing
Prudentius Clemens, Aurelius. Aurelii prudentii Clementis V.C. Opera omnia nunc primum cum codd. Vaticanis collata praefatione, variantibus lectionibus, notis, ac rerum verborumque indice locupletissimo aucta et illustrata. Parmae: Ex Regio typographeo, 1788. 4to (31.5 cm, 12.5"). 2 vols. I: [12], 71, [1], 302, [2], [303]–61, [3] pp. II: [4], 215, [1], 219–84, [2] pp. (text complete despite pagination).
$750.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First edition of Prudentius from the Bodoni press. Prudentius (348 – ca. 410) was a Roman Christian poet born in Northern Spain, known for the asceticism he adopted late in life as well as for his lyric (Cathemerinon, Peristephanon), didactic (Apotheosis, Hamartigenia, Psychomachia), and polemical works (Contra Symmachum). The Psychomachia is particularly notable as one of the earliest Western examples of allegorical verse, exerting much influence on the subsequent medieval development of that genre.
This is a typically handsome Bodoni production with wide margins, an elegant type, and a different engraved vignette on each title-page; Dibdin calls it “one of the most beautiful editions of a classical author I ever beheld.”
Brooks, Compendiosa Bibliografia di Edizioni Bodoniane, 361; Brunet, IV, 916; Dibdin, II, 360–61; Graesse 467. On Prudentius, see: Catholic Encyclopedia online. Recent half vellum and paper–covered sides, vellum edges graced with gilt single fillet, spines with gilt-stamped leather title and volume labels and with gilt-stamped Greek key design; binding discolored and a little bubbled from proximity to fire. Edges untrimmed, signatures unopened; vol. I with surprisingly various old waterstaining, sometimes faint and sometimes not, in upper margins of first half and outer margins of last few leaves. Interior of both volumes otherwise clean, with no markings, save that the endpapers are smudged and those untrimmed edges, plus occasional small areas of margin contiguous, are darkly smokestained from that fire.
This is a book that has suffered, yet a production that is still as lovely as Dibdin said it was and a set well worth having. (25517)

Prudentius, Bodoni, & TWO Oxford Friends — A Handsome Set
(Extra-Beloved Here for Its Surviving Bookseller's Label)
Prudentius Clemens, Aurelius. Aurelii Prudentii Clementis V.C. Opera omnia nunc primum cum codd. vaticanis collata praefatione, variantibus lectionibus, notis, ac rerum verborumque indice locupletissimo aucta et illustrata. Parmae: Ex Regio Typographeo, 1788. Large 4to (30.2 cm, 11.89"). 2 vols. I: [10], 71, [3], 361, [3] pp. II: [4], 284, [2] pp.
$800.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First edition of Prudentius from the Bodoni press. Aurelius Prudentius Clemens (348 – ca. 410) was a Roman Christian poet born in Northern Spain, known for the asceticism he adopted late in life as well as for his lyric (Cathemerinon, Peristephanon), didactic (Apotheosis, Hamartigenia, Psychomachia), and polemical works (Contra Symmachum). The Psychomachia is particularly notable as one of the earliest Western examples of allegorical verse, exerting much influence on the subsequent medieval development of that genre. Here, the texts were edited by Giuseppe Teoli, who signed the dedication as well as supplying the preface, footnotes, and indexes.
This is a typically handsome Bodoni production with wide margins, an elegant type, and a different engraved vignette on each title-page; Dibdin calls it “one of the most beautiful editions of a classical author I ever beheld.” 18th- and 19th-century critics tended to agree with him and with Eschenburg, who deemed this edition “splendid and valuable.”
Binding: Contemporary light brown morocco, covers with wide frames composed of multiple gilt rolls, spines of darker brown morocco with gilt-stamped leather title and volume labels; main label reading “Aurelii Opera.”
Board edges and turn-ins with gilt rolls and, in an unusual treatment, with the darker brown of the spine echoed in these areas as an accent. Endpapers of light blue moiré silk, all edges gilt.
Provenance: Front fly-leaf of vol. I with affectionate inked gift inscription from David Williams to John Griffiths (both academics of the University of Oxford, as referenced in the inscription), dated 1854. Front pastedowns each with 19th-century bookseller's small leather label (“the most Expert Bookfinder Extant”).
Brooks 361; Brunet, V, 916; De Lama, II, 52–53; Dibdin, II, 360–61; Graesse 467. Bindings as above, edges and extremities rubbed, spine labels with small repairs.
One of the most desirable editions of this important poet, here in an attractive copy with delightful provenance. (40137)

Bodoni Printing: Religious Advice for a
Dead Princess's Children
Roberti, Giovanni Battista. Istruzione cristiana ad un giovinetto cavaliere e a due giovinette dame sue sorelle. Parma: Dalla Stamperia Reale, 1787. 8vo (22.2 cm, 8.74"). [2], 143, [1] pp.
$350.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First edition, one of two variant Bodoni printings: Lessons in Christian faith and conduct dedicated to Prince Gennaro and Princesses Teresa and Caterina, son and daughters of Vincenzo Caraffa (or Carafa), Duke of Bruzzano and Prince of Rocella (1739–1814). Best known for his Annotazioni sopra l'umanità del secolo Decimottavo, the author (1719–86) was a Jesuit professor and polymath who studied philosophy, science, theatre, and literature as well as theology. Bodoni printed this work in the year following Conte Roberti's death, in two similar variations; the present example bears a “DL” monogram over the dedication (likely in honor of Donna Livia Doria, the children's mother, who had died in 1779) as well as the attractively engraved Caraffa coat of arms on the title-page.
Provenance: Front pastedown with bookplate of private collector Brian Douglas Stilwell.
Brooks 340; De Lama, II, 45; DeBacker-Sommervogel, VI, 1918.70. Contemporary half marbled calf with marbled paper–covered boards, spine with gilt-stamped red leather title-label, gilt-stamped bands, and gilt-stamped floral decorations in compartments; minor rubbing overall, spine and joints with small areas of pinhole worming. All edges stained red; original silk bookmark present. Pages very clean and fresh, slightly cockled.
A nice copy of this elegantly printed item. (40136)

A Cute Little Bodoni
Rosini, Giovanni. Poesia, la musica e la danza, versi ... Parma: co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1796. Small 8vo (16.5 cm, 6.5"). [4] ff., 30 pp.
$725.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Giovanni Rosini (1776–1855), a professor, novelist, poet, dramaturge, and writer on art, was fortunate to have this collection of some of his poetry
beautifully printed in elegant, minute type by the famous Bodoni Press. Brooks says of this edition: “Ravissante impressione bodonienne.”
Provenance: Unidentified stencilled ownership mark of an anchor flanked by a “G” on the left and an “I” on the right contained in an oval with a solid outer ring and an inner one of dots.
Brooks 629. Contemporary light boards covered with tan paper speckled with red; paper of spine damaged with loss. Housed in a simple one-ply phase box. (39613)

Hymeneal Verse from the Bodoni Press
Rusconi, Francesco, & Vincenzo Paolo Rusconi. Rime di Francesco e Vincenzo-Paolo fratelli Rusconi di Cento. Parma: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1796. Large 4to (30.7 cm, 12.08"). [10], 74 pp.
$650.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Sole edition, printed by Bodoni: Poems by two brothers, collected by their father (Pier-Dionisi Rusconi) in honor of the wedding of Teresa Gozzadini and the son of papal treasurer Antonio Gnudi, to whom the volume is dedicated. The text is printed with the dignified simplicity typical of Bodoni's work.
This poetic tribute is now uncommon: Searches of WorldCat locate
only seven reported holdings in U.S. institutions (UCLA, Harvard, Southern Methodist University, Stanford, University of Oregon, University of Texas, Yale).
Brooks 641; De Lama, II, 117; Giani 84 (p. 56). Contemporary light green paper–covered boards, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label; binding rubbed, soiled, joints and extremities
chipped. Scattered small spots of foxing, only; first four leaves showing larger (but still limited and diminishing) evidence of exposure to a pale purple'ish liquid. Pages generally clean. (40174)

Popular Odes — Petite Bodoni Printing
Savioli, Ludovico. Amori. Crisopoli: Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1795. 16mo (12.4 cm, 4.88"). Frontis., [8], 134, [2] pp.
$350.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Amorous canzonetti — first published in their final count of 24 poems in 1765, and best-selling in their day — here in
the first Bodoni 16mo edition. Count Ludovico Vittorio Savioli (1729–1804) was classically inspired, and contemporary critics noted the grace and lightness of his verse, particularly these melodious pieces. The Amori are here preceded by a dedication to the Count from the printer, and followed by Savioli's “Amore e Psiche.” Bodoni's first quarto edition was printed in the same year, with the present example offering a daintier, more delicately minute setting; the stipple-engraved title-page portrait of the author, which Giani particularly praised, appears in this edition as a frontispiece.
Binding: Contemporary mottled brown calf, spine with gilt-ruled compartments and gilt-stamped compartment decorations; covers framed in gilt roll, upper cover lettered “A. M. Ad. Etereocle,” board edges with gilt roll. All edges speckled red, original green silk bookmark laid in.
Provenance: Front pastedown with bookplate of Robert Wayne Stilwell, front free endpaper with bookplate of Brian Douglas Stilwell. Front fly-leaf with faded inked gift inscription dated 1837.
Brooks 598; De Lama, II, 107; Giani 72 (pp. 54-55); Brunet, V, 156; Graesse, VI, 279. Bound as above, extremities unobtrusively refurbished; front joint unobtrusively starting from head. Bookplates and inscription as above, front and back free endpapers with later pencilled bibliographical notes.
Charming. (40170)

History of the Roman Empire — Bodoni Printing
Tacitus, Cornelius. C. Cornelii Taciti opera. Parmae: Ex Regio Typographeo, 1797. 8vo (22 cm, 8.66"). 2 vols. I: [4], xii, [4], 379 (i.e., 376) pp. II: [4], 328 pp.
$500.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First Bodoni octavo edition of Tacitus's Annals (only, despite the title), following the press's folio and quarto printings of 1795. Dedicated to Ferdinand, Duke of Parma and one of Bodoni's most important patrons, this two-volume set offers a classic example of Bodonian restraint and minimalism. Searches of WorldCat show
only seven U.S. institutions reporting holdings.
Brooks 692; Brunet, V, 638. This ed. not in De Lama, not in Schweiger. Modern quarter green morocco and green pebbled cloth–covered boards, spines with gilt-stamped title and gilt rule–framed compartments; spines sunned (not unattractively), volumes lightly rubbed overall. Some pages creased in the press, with variable spotting/soiling/foxing, the last generally speckle-type; still a
solid, dignified set. (40179)

Bodoni Tacitus — Three Volumes Nicely Bound
Tacitus, Publius Cornelius. C. Cornelii Taciti opera. Parmae: In Aedibus Palatinus, Typis Bodonianis, 1795. Imp. 4to (32.38 cm, 12.75"). 3 vols. I: [2], xii, [6], 284 pp. II: [4], 297, [1] pp. III: [4], 281, [3] pp.
$1000.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Large quarto variant of the Bodoni edition of Tacitus's Annals (only, despite the title); the spine labels here give the more correct “Annales,” rather than Opera). Giani notes the scrupulous accuracy of this text, and the “grande perizia filologica” brought to the task by editor Vincenzo Jacobacci.
Binding: Contemporary quarter calf and marbled paper–covered boards, spines with gilt-stamped olive leather title and date labels; quatrefoil gilt roll on raised bands and blind-tooled, black-accented decorations in compartments. All page edges marbled to match endpapers.
Brooks 594; De Lama, II, 106; Giani 71 (p. 54); Schweiger, II, 1006. Bound as above, rebacked with the original spines laid down; sides and edges with moderate scuffing. Faint spotting, occasionally more pronounced, to many page edges; pages overall clean.
Bodoni's unadorned typesetting embodies classical elegance. (40168)

Scarce Napoleonic Poem — Bodoni Printing
Presented by the Author, Owned by Nobility
Tadini, Placido Maria. Genethliacon Regis Romae ode alcaica. Parmae: Typis Bodonianis, 1811. Folio (42 cm, 16.5"). [8 (2 blank)] pp.
$2500.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Sole Bodoni and sole book edition: Written in Horatian-inspired Alcaic stanzas, this Napoleonic birthday tribute in honor of the “King of Rome” was the third Latin ode from Cardinal Tadini to be printed by Bodoni. Never reprinted in book form and apparently otherwise printed only once in a contemporary periodical, the poem is now scarce, most especially in this large, imposing Bodoni production: A search of NUC, WorldCat, COPAC, KVK, and SBN finds only six libraries worldwide reporting ownership
none in the U.S., one in Britain, one in Switzerland, and four in Italy.
Provenance: Inscribed on the title-page “Donné par L'Auteur.” Front pastedown and free endpaper with bookplates of Francis Henry Egerton, 8th Earl of Bridgewater and Prince of the Holy Roman Empire; John Egerton-Cust, 2nd Earl Brownlow, Ashridge, 1876; Crosby Gaige (Broadway producer, book collector, and co-founder of the Watch Hill Press); abd Grolier Club member Leroy Arthur Sugarman. Additionally, the large, neat, elegant rubber-stamp of the Ashridge Library at foot of title-page.
Brooks 1100; De Lama, II, 196. Not in Brunet, not in Graesse. Original Bodoni orange paper–covered boards, front cover with gilt-stamped title and author and paper now more brown than orange — rubbed at extremities and spine with loss of paper in top 7". Bookplates, ownership markings, and inscription as above. Pages clean.
An uncommon item, with extended, interesting provenance. (40199)


TASSO
A Classic of Italian Renaissance Literature
Bodoni
Super-Royal Folio Format Copy
Tasso, Torquato. Aminta favola boschereccia ... ora alla sua vera lezione ridotta. Crisopoli: Impresso Co' Topi Bodoniani, 1793. Folio extra (44.5 cm, 17.75"). xxxv, [1], 117, [1] pp.
$2500.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Bodoni's super-royal folio format edition of Tasso's best-known work. This folio extra is a reprint of the press's edition of 1789, with a handsome engraved headpiece done by Lucatelli; Brooks notes that this edition is found both with and without a frontispiece portrait, and the latter is the case here.
Binding: Contemporary brown calf, covers framed in blind fillets surrounding a wide blind roll, with large areas of blind-tooled arabesques in corners; covers with blind-stamped supra-libros (see below). All edges gilt.
Provenance: Covers with armorial supra-libros of Henry Welbore Agar-Ellis, 2nd Viscount Clifden (1761–1836), with his motto: “Non haec sine numine.” Front pastedown of deep blue with armorial bookplate and “C” shelf-list tag at one corner, front free endpaper with bookplates of Robert Wayne Stilwell and Brian Douglas Stilwell.
Brooks 514; Brunet, V, 673; Giani 46 (p. 48). Binding as above, rebacked with original spine laid down and recent gilt-stamped red leather labels; corners and lower edges rubbed. Bookplates as above. Free endpapers with offsetting from turn-ins. Pages notably clean clean and crisp.
A striking copy of this dramatic presentation. (40163)

Uncommon Version of Bodoni's Aminta
Tasso, Torquato. Aminta favola boschereccia ... ora alla sua vera lezione ridotta. Crisopoli: Impresso Co' Topi Bodoniani, 1796. 4to (24.2 cm, 9.52"). xxxvii, [1], 142 pp.
$575.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Limited Bodoni edition of Tasso's best-known work. Bodoni first published this widely read 16th-century play in 1789, in honor of the Marchesa Anna Malaspina della Bastia. Vincenzo Monti supplied a dedicatory poem, and Pierantonio Serassi the preface. The text here was reset in different characters from the 1789 and, according to Brooks, limited to 100 copies
on carta velina and 2 on vellum. This is a paper copy, with the engraved portrait of Tasso present on the title-page.
Provenance: Front pastedown with bookplate of Joseph H. Hamilton (an oak tree being cut by a saw, with the motto “Through”; bookplate attributed to Richard Joseph Ablett by the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts). Title-page with early inked inscription of Catherine Cowper.
Brooks 650; Giani 92 (pp. 57/58). Contemporary green calf, covers framed in gilt double fillets with gilt-tooled corner fleurons, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label and gilt-tooled compartment decorations between gilt-ruled raised bands, board edges and turn-ins with gilt rolls, all edges gilt; spine and board edges browned, spine label chipped, joints and extremities rubbed. Pages faintly age-toned, otherwise clean. (40176)

A Classic of Italian Literature — Bodoni Printing — Exceptional Binding
Tasso, Torquato. Aminta favola boschereccia di Torquato Tasso ora per la prima volta alla sua vera lezione ridotta. Crisopoli: Impresso co' Caratterei Bodoniani, 1789. Large 4to (30.2 cm, 11.89"). [12], 14, [2], 142, [2 (blank)] pp.
$1500.00
Click the images for enlargements.
First Bodoni edition of Tasso's best-known work. This widely read 16th-century play, a pastoral set in the time of Alexander the Great, features a wedding at its conclusion — perfect for
this present printing done in honor of the marriage of the niece of a celebrated and influential noblewoman, Marchesa Anna Malaspina della Bastia. Bodoni dedicated the graceful production to the Marchesa, a devotee of his work. While it was subsequently reprinted in 1792 with a frontispiece bearing the original printing date of 1789, this example is identifiable as the first issue (with the small signature number on p. 13 of the preface, and the correct “novi lumi” on p. 38). Brunet cites this as “une des plus belles éditions” produced by the legendary printer-typographer.
Binding: Contemporary speckled calf, spine with gilt-stamped red leather title label and gilt-stamped strawberry compartment decorations; covers framed with a narrow gilt flower-and-diamond roll and panelled incorporating
unusual marbled calf onlays. Paneling of front cover demarcated using the border roll with a wider Greek key roll, and that of the back cover created using the flower-and-diamond roll in combination with a pattern of circles between fillets. Marbled endpapers, all edges gilt.
Provenance: Front pastedown with bookplate of private collector Brian Douglas Stilwell.
Brooks 379; Brunet, V, 673; Giani 11 (p. 39); Renouard, IV, 305. Binding as above, unobtrusively rebacked preserving original spine; light wear to joints and extremities, sides with small scuffs refurbished with a restrained hand. Bookplate as above; front free endpaper with pencilled reference annotations. The wide-margined, crisply printed and engraved pages are notably clean.
Distinctive for its occasion and and desirable for its lovely production. (40138)

Epic Artistry
Tasso, Torquato. La Gerusalemme liberata. Parma: Nel Regal Palazzo, 1807. Large 4to (30 cm, 11.8"). 2 vols. in 1. [18], 331, [3], 337, [1] pp.
$975.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Luxurious Bodoni edition of the great Italian Renaissance epic, with the text edited by distinguished scholar Abbot Pier Antonio Serassi. Bodoni first printed folio and quarto editions of the Gerusalemme in 1794, having previously published Tasso's Aminta in 1789. Giani and other sources consider the present grand quarto edition worthwhile as both a useful text and a generally faithful reprinting; it hews very closely to the 1794 quarto design, though the original Roman stanza numerals are here replaced by Arabic. The work was printed in two volumes — here bound as one — on laid paper.
Binding: Contemporary green textured calf, covers framed in gilt triple fillets with gilt-stamped corner fleurons, spine gilt extra with gilt-stamped leather author label. Board edges and turn-ins with gilt roll.
Textblock edges delightfully marbled in a bright, impressive, tour-de-force match to marbling of endpapers.
Brooks 1017; Brunet, V, 667; De Lama, II, 175; Giani 179 (page 72). Bound as above, rebacked with original spine sunned to brown reapplied; sides with scuffs (some showing signs of refurbishing) and with edges and extremities moderately rubbed.
A monument of both literature and typography in a very clean and handsome copy. (40192)



Two Bodoni-Printed Sermons
Turchi, Adeodato. Omelia dall' illustrissimo e reverendissimo Monsignore Fr. Adeodato Turchi ... recitata nel giorno di Pentecoste dell'anno MDCCXCII sopra i beni temporali della cattolica chiesa. [Parma: Dalla stamperia reale, 1793]. 8vo (23.2 cm, 9.13"). [4], xxix, [1] pp. [with the same author's] Omelia ... recitata al suo popolo nel giorno di San Bernardo dell'anno MDCCXCII. [Parma: Dalla stamperia reale, 1793]. 8vo. [2], xxxii pp.
$185.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Two homilies from Turchi (first name sometimes given as Diodato), a Capuchin friar who rose to be Bishop of Parma, and who favored the Bodoni Press for his printing needs. Each piece opens with a crisp rendering of the bishop's coat of arms.
Sermons, pastoral letters, and homilies are among the types of job printing that have provided necessary cash flow for all presses throughout time. And because of their ephemeral and narrow-interest nature combined with their short print runs, they tend to be among the scarcest productions of the Bodoni Press.
Provenance: Front pastedown with bookplates of “G.P.C.” (Pegasus design) and Fratelli Salimbeni (with shelving designation).
Brooks, Compendiosa bibliografia i edizioni Bodoniane, 497. Contemporary marbled paper–covered boards, faded and rubbed; bookplates as above. Page edges untrimmed. Light foxing, as typically seen in these Bodoni printings. (40157)
For 18TH-CENTURY BOOKS, click here.
For CATHOLICA, click here.
For Books with SPECIAL
PROVENANCE, click here.
For COLLECTED PRESSES
& TYPOGRAPHY, click here.

Virgil — Elegant Italian Production
Vergilius Maro, Publius; Clemente Bondi, trans. L'Eneide tradotta in versi italiani. Parma: Dalla Stamperia Reale, 1790–93. 8vo (22.1 cm, 8.7"). 2 vols. in 1. [8], xxiii, [1], 273, [1], 295, [3 (1 errata)] pp.
[SOLD]
Click the images for enlargements.
First edition of Clemente Bondi's Italian verse translation of Virgil's Aeneid, much celebrated in its day. Bondi (1742–1821), a Jesuit scholar, dedicated the work to Maria Beatrice d'Este. After the papal dissolution of the Jesuit Order in 1773, Bondi left Italy for a while but returned later and became the librarian of the noble family Zanardi in Mantua. Later still, Archduke Ferdinand of Habsburg-Lorraine befriended him and charged the Italian with the education of his children and the role of librarian at the castle in Brünn (now Brno in the Czech Republic).
The printing was done by Bodoni, displaying his usual grace; each title-page bears a portrait medallion of Virgil captioned “Mantua me genuit,” engraved by Frey.
Provenance: Front pastedown with bookplate of Jan-Olof Grady.
Brooks 400; Brunet, V, 1309; De Lama, II, 57; DeBacker-Sommervogel, I, 1706; Schweiger, II, 1231. Modern half brown calf and Stormont marbled paper–covered boards, original 19th-century mottled calf spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label and gilt-stamped compartment devices laid down; original spine leather edges chipped, binding otherwise clean and unworn. All edges stained red. Some light foxing or other spotting, pages overall crisp and fresh. (40142)

Bodoni's Quarto
Hero & Leander
Viviani, Niccolò. Ero, e Leandro poema. Parma: Nel Regal Palazzo Co' Tipi Bodoniani, 1794. 4to (28.4 cm, 11.18"). [8], 40, [2 (blank)] pp.
$700.00
Click the images for enlargements.
Typically elegant Bodoni printing of this ottava rima treatment of the subject, written by the Marchese Niccolò Viviani, governor of Pisa, and dedicated to Maria Luisa of Parma. In 1794, Bodoni published the first edition of Ero, e Leandro in folio, following up in the same year with quarto and octavo versions; the paper of this
large quarto is watermarked “FP.” Thomas Hartwell Horne claimed “of each edition, not more than
40 or 50 copies were struck off.”
Provenance: Front pastedown with bookplate of Robert Wayne Stilwell and with 19th-century Florence bookseller's ticket.
Brooks 548; De Lama, II, 96–97; Giani 59 (p. 51). Contemporary half brown calf and marbled paper–covered boards, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label, marbled endpapers and all edges marbled; rubbed overall with fore-edge and spine label chipped, pin-hole worm action to spine/joints without this reaching interior. Free endpapers, front fly-leaf, and final blank each with one horizontal crease
in lower portion; front endpapers with pencilled annotations. Occasional light to moderate foxing. (40167)
For 18TH-CENTURY BOOKS, click here.
For PRINTING IN GREEK, click here.
For GREEK & LATIN CLASSICS, click here.
For LITERATURE, click here.
For PHILOSOPHY, click here.
For CATHOLICA, click here.
For ILLUSTRATED BOOKS, click here.
For FINE, ATTRACTIVE, & INTERESTING
BINDINGS, click here.
For Books with SPECIAL
PROVENANCE, click here.
For other COLLECTED PRESSES
& TYPOGRAPHY, click here.
All material © 2021
The
Philadelphia Rare Books
& Manuscripts Company,
LLC
 |
PRB&M/SessaBks |
 |
PLACE AN ORDER | E-MAIL US | GO (BACK) TO TOPIC/INTEREST
TABLE