Author: Minucius Felix, Marcus; Firmicus Maternus, Julius: (Ouzel, J., Meursius, J., a Wower, J., eds.; Baudouin, F., intro.:)
Title: Octavius [...] De errore profanarum religionum.
Description: Lugduni Batavorum [Leiden]: ex officina Hackiana, 1672. 8vo. pp. (xlviii), 352, 64, [16], last blank. With engraved titlepage, woodcut title vignette and initials. Light water stain to upper blank margin of one gathering, small loss to lower outer blank margin of one leaf, thumb mark to titlepage, ink splash to verso of last blank. Full calf c.1800, tooled in blind, spine gilt-ruled, gilt-lettered label, a.e.r. Joints a bit cracked but firm at head and foot, upper board a bit rubbed. Bookplate of Cholmondeley Library to front pastedown; bookplate of Robert J. Hayhurst to ffep. An elegantly bound third century dialogue between a Christian (the Octavius of the title) and a pagan. This edition was printed by the heirs of Frans Hacke in Leyden, who also produced books for Louis Elzevier. Already at the time Hack's printing style was rated as one of the best, and 'his publications are no less elegant than those of his famous competitors', the Elzevirs (Willems pp. 424-25). This copy was in the library of Reginald Cholmondeley (1826-96) of Condover Hall. There he famously hosted Mark Twain upon his visit to England in 1873 and 1879. The library was sold by Reginald's successors in 1926. Not in Willems.

Keywords: Early Printing (to c.1800, all subjects);Classics & Antiquity


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