Cicero, Marcus Tullius. M.T.C. Epistolae familiares. Venice: Aldo Manuzio, April 1502

Exceedingly rare first Aldine edition, and the first pri🙈nting of any of Cicero’s works by Aldo. Only one other copy has app𓄧eared at auction in the past 50 years: Renouard’s own copy, printed on vellum and illuminated by a contemporary artist (Christie’s London, 28 November 2001, lot 27, also bound by Charles Lewis).

8vo (156 x 98 mm). Italic type, 30 lines. collation: a-z⁸ aa-kk⁸ ll⁴: 268 leaves. Initials supplied inꦍ alternating red and blue penwork, the first colored and heightened in gold.

binding: Purple stra𝕴i𝔉ght-grained morocco by Charles Lewis (160 x 102 mm), with his stamp, spine blind-tooled in compartments with gilt lettering, gilt edges. (Joints and lower board edges worn.)

provenance: Richard Heber (1773-1833), inscriptions on flyleaf, sale, Evans, 23 March-14 April 1835, lot 726, £15-5s, to Payne & Foss — Edward Clive Herbert, 2nd Earl Powis (1785-1848), note on flyleaf dated 1835, sale, Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 20-22 March 1923, lot 392, to Bernard Quaritch — Estelle Doheny (1875-1958), morocco bookplate, sale, Christie’s New York, Part IV, 17 October 1988, lot 1016. acquisition: Purchased at preceding sale via E.P. Goldschmidt & Co. references: UCLA 55; Edit16 12160; Renouard 33/2