• LACTANTIUS, OPERA. SUBIACO: [Conrad Sweynheym & Arnold Pannartz], 29 October 1465.

Collections:
  • Incunabula at Princeton
  • In Principio
  • Collections Donated to Princeton University Library
  • Italy Grouping
  • The Scheide Library
  • Treasures of Rare Book Division
Curatorial Note:
  • Lactantius (ca. 240–320 CE) was a Roman rhetorician who served as tutor to the son of Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor. The first edition of his works, which recommended Christian beliefs to Roman men of letters, was printed concurrently with Cicero’s De Oratore, but this much longer work was not completed until several weeks later in 1465. It was one of the first two books (along with Fust and Schoeffer’s Cicero, De Officiis of 1465) to contain Greek printing. As seen in the word ἀνθρωπος (anthropos) on the exhibited right-hand page, the Subiaco type handled Greek letter forms much more accurately than Fust and Schoeffer did the same year. This very tall Median folio is preserved in its original Italian binding.
Bookseller:
  • Lathrop C. Harper, Inc
Author:
  • Lactantius, approximately 240-approximately 320
Uniform title:
  • Works. 1465
Provenance:
  • Princeton copy 1 from the library of the Earl of Pembroke; title-page and preface of auction catalogue tipped in.
  • Princeton copy 1 has bookplate of Grenville Kane.
  • Princeton copy 2 acquired 3/26/36 from Harper.
Former owner:
  • Pembroke, Thomas Herbert, Earl of, 1656-1733
  • Kane, Grenville, 1854-1943
Creator:
  • Lactantius, approximately 240-approximately 320
Language:
  • Latin
Call number:
  • EXKA Incunabula 1465
  • 36.9
Extent:
  • [184] leaves. 35 cm.
Format:
  • Book
Description:
  • Leaf [1a]: Lactantii Firmiani de diuinis institutio[n]ibus aduersus gentes rubrice p[ri]mi libri incipiu[n]t.
  • Colophon: Lactantii Firmiani de diuinis institutionibus aduersus gentes libri septem ... Sub a[n]no d[omi]ni M.CCCC.LXV. ... Indictio[n]e xiii. die uero an[te]penulti[m]a mensis Octobris. In uenerabili monasterio Sublacensi. Deo gratias.
  • Signatures: 1¹⁰ (last leaf blank, 2-6¹⁰, 7¹², 8-14¹⁰, 15¹², 16-17¹⁰, 18¹⁰ (last two leaves blank).
  • Large blanks left for Greek quotations in some quires, Greek printing in others suggest that this may have been printed on two presses. -cf. BMC IV 2 (IB 17006). The first dated book printed in Italy and the first book containing printed Greek characters.
  • Princeton copy 1 without the two leaves of errata found in some copies; leaves 10, 183 and 184 blank.
Publisher:
  • [Subiaco, Italy Conradus Sweynheym and Arnoldus Pannartz], 1465.
Subject:
  • Incunabula
Title sort:
  • Opera.
Binding note:
  • Princeton copy 1 in later red goatskin bordered in gold rules and tooling; marbled endpapers; all edges gilt.
References:
  • Hain-Copinger *9806
  • BMC IV, 2 (IB 17006)
  • Goff L-1
Printer:
  • Sweynheim, Konrad, -1477
  • Pannartz, Arnold, -approximately 1478
Created:
  • 1465-01-01T00:00:00Z
Date:
  • 1465
Identifier:
  • ark:/88435/zk51vn114
Location:
  • HSVR EXKA Incunabula 1465
  • HSVR 36.9
  • WHS EXKA Incunabula 1465
  • WHS 36.9
Edm rights:
  • No Known Copyright
Range label:
  • Logical
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