Beschreibung:

CHRYSOLORAS, Manuel (mid 15th century - 1415). Erotemata , Greek and Latin. Revised by Guarino da Verona (1374-1460). [Parma: Printer of St. Jerome, Epistolae (Pr 6855), 1481]. Chancery 4° (197 x 140mm). Collation: a-e 8 (a1 r incipit: In quot dividuntur viginti quattuor litterae in duo , e7 v Pater noster and Ave Maria , e8 r concordance of Greek and Latin alphabets, e8 v blank). 40 leaves. Parallel Greek and Latin texts in double columns. Roman type 1:111 and Greek type 2:111. 24-25 lines. (Minor marginal repair to the first 4 leaves, a few tiny wormholes and light stains.) 18th-century Italian vellum. Provenance : Sir George Shuckburgh (armorial bookplate). Fourth edition of this most influential Greek grammatical textbook of the Italian Renaissance, and the third edition of Guarino's abbreviation and translation. The first edition is only known in two copies (GW 6701, IGI 2780), the second edition in the unique copy at Florence (IGI 2777). The present edition, too, is OF EXTREME RARITY; 14 copies can be located, none in American libraries or the British Library. It is the only Greek production from this anonymous Parmesan press. Chrysoloras was brought to Florence in 1397 to teach Greek by Coluccio Salutati; in 1400 Visconti lured him to the Milanese University at Pavia. "The secret of Chrysoloras' success perhaps lies in his ability to simplify the traditional grammar book, removing the bewildering complexities inflicted on Byzantine schoolchildren." (N.G. Wilson, From Byzantium to Italy. Greek studies in the Italian Renaissance p. 9). Guarino, whose reputation as a teacher was unmatched, had been in Constantinople with Chrysoloras to learn the contemporary spoken language really well, and returned to Italy with more than fifty Greek manuscripts. H 5019; GW 6697; Pr 6874; Pellechet 3579; IGI 2782; BSB-Ink C-291; Proctor, Printing of Greek p.87-8 and Pl. IX; Legrand III, 78.