Beschreibung:

BIBLE, COMPLUTENSIAN POLYGLOT. Edited by Diego Lopez de Zuñiga, Aelio Antonio de Lebrija (Nebrissensis), Demetrius Ducas, Alonso de Zamora, and others. Alcalá de Henares: Arnald Guillén de Brocar, for Cardinal Francisco Ximenes de Cisneros, 10 January 1514-10 July 1517 [published not before March 1520 (date of papal privilege)]. 6 volumes. Royal 2° (374 x 255mm). Collation: Volume I: + 8 (+1 blank, +2r title with arms of Ximenes in red and woodcut border, +2v blank, +3r dedication to Pope Leo X, +3v to the reader on the Old Testament, +4r De arte inueniendi radicem , +5r prologues on the New Testament including letter of Jerome to Paulinus and Jerome's preface to the Pentateuch, +8v papal privilege dated 22 March 1520); a-z 6 aa-zz 6 && 6 8 2 a 2 (Pentateuch, 8v blank, 2 a1-2 errata); Volume II: [π1] 2 a-z 6 aa-tt 6 vv 4 2 a 2 ([π]1r title with arms printed in red, [π]1v dedication to Leo X, [π]2r to the reader, a1r Joshua - 2 Paralipomenon (Chronicles), Oratio Manasses , 2 a1r errata); Volume III: aaa-ddd 6 eee 4 Aaa-Bbb 6 Ccc 4 Ddd-Hhh 6 Iii 4 a-i 6 k 4 l-o 6 p 8 A-E 6 F 4 2 a 2 (aaa1r title with arms printed in red, aaa1v dedication to Leo X, aaa2r to the reader, aaa3r Esdras-Ecclesiasticus, k4 blank, F4v blank, 2 a1r errata, 2 a2 blank); Volume IV: a-z 6 aa-oo 6 pp 4 A-F 6 G 4 2 a 2 (a1r title with arms printed in red, a1v dedication to Leo X, a2r to the reader, a2v prologue to Isaiah, a3r Isaiah-3 Maccabees, G4r colophon dated 10 July 1517, device, G4v blank, 2 a1r errata); Volume V: a 4 A-Q 6 α 6 R-Z 6 Aa-LL 6 MM 8 2 a 10 3 a 6 b-f 6 g 4 (a1r title with arms printed in black within double woodcut border, a1v blank, a2r preface to the reader in Greek and Latin, a3r Eusebius to Carpianus, a3v Jerome to Pope Damasus, prologues, A1r New Testament, MM7v colophon dated 10 January 1514, device, MM8 commendatory verses in Greek and Latin, 2 a1r Interpretationes hebreorum chaldeorum grecorumque nominum noui testamenti (arranged by biblical book), 3 a1r introduction to Greek, 3 a2r Greek-Latin vocabulary, g3v blank, g4 blank); Volume VI: [π] 2 A-Z 6 AA-EE 6 Ff 4 a 8 2 A- 2 D 6 2 E 2 3 A- 3 B 6 3 C 4 ([π]1r title with arms printed in red, [π]1v to the reader, [π]2 blank, A1r Vocabularium hebraicum , FF4r colophon dated 17 March 1515, device, FF4v blank, a1r Latin index to the Vocabularium , 2 A1r Interpretationes hebraicorum, chaldeorum, grecorumque nominum veteris ac noui testamenti (in alphabetical order), 2 E1r index of name variants, 3 A1r Introductiones artis grammatice hebraice , 3 C4 blank). I: 299 (of 300, without blank +1); II: 260; III: 204; IV: 268; V: 273 (of 274, without blank g4); VI: 223 (of 224, without blank [π]2) leaves. Text in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and Latin, printed in 2, 3 and 4 columns in Hebrew, Greek, Roman, and Gothic types. Woodcut arms of Cardinal Ximenes on title-pages of all volumes, within woodcut borders, woodcut initials, printer's device in vols. IV-VI, initial spaces with guide-letters. (Some leaves browned slightly, marginal paper flaw in VI:V4, small stain on VI:G6 affecting a few letters.) Uniformly bound in late 18th-century French red straight-grained morocco over pasteboard, gilt fillets on covers, spine gilt-tooled in compartments, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, gilt edges, pink silk ribbon marker. Provenance : [Nicolas] Bachelier (sale by Coustelier of about 30,000 vols., not including this Bible, Paris 1725), signature on titles of vols. 1,3,4 and 6 only; Lyons Bibliothèque publique, 18th-century stamp on title of vol. 2 only; Payne & Foss cat. 1832, no.72 at #36.15.0; bought from Payne & Foss by Botfield for #47.5.0, with price pencilled in first volume (P. & F. Acquisitions, p.7). THE FIRST OF THE GREAT POLYGLOT BIBLES. FIRST PRINTING OF THE SEPTUAGINT AND THE FIRST PRINTING OF THE NEW TESTAMENT IN GREEK. Cardinal Ximenes, founder of the university at Alcalá, initiated this Complutensian Polyglot Bible in 1502 in honour of the birth of the future Charles V. To reconcile the many