THE FIRST BIOGRAPHY OF ALDUS MANUTIUS

ALDUS MANUTIUS. GERET, SAMUEL LUTHER / UNGER.

De Aldi Pii Manutii Romani vita meritisque in rem literatam liber Ungeri Singularis. Auctus cura et studio Samuelis Lutheri Geret A.M.

Wittemberg, Vidua Scheffler, 1753.

4to. Contemporary full calf with five raised bands to richly gilt spine. Edges of boards blindtooled. Boards slightly warped and with lsigns of wear. Internally very nice and clean with only a few scattered brownspots. A nice, tight, clean, and completely unrestored copy. Title-page printed in red and black. (4), 18, (6), CCLII, (2) pp. + two folded engraved plates.

The exceedingly rare first edition of the first published biography of Aldus Manutius including "the first real attempt at an Aldine bibliography" (Grolier, Aldus). This legendary publication constitutes not only the earliest but also one of the most important sources on Aldus and his publications.

Written by Christian Gottlieb Unger (1671-1719), presumably in the early 1700'ies, it circulated in manuscript-form for decades until 1753, when Samuel Luther Geret, German theologian, lawyer and politician, took upon himself to edit the manuscript and have it published.

Renouard mentions a 1729-edition, but this is a ghost (See "Grolier, Aldus Manutius: No. 135").

Grolier, Aldus Manutius: No. 135.
Renouard, pp. iv-v.

Order-nr.: 53654