ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ ΑΙ 'ΕΠΤΑ ΤΡΑΓΩΔΙΑΙ. SOPHOCLIS TRAGŒDIÆ SEPTEM. UNA CUM ONMNIBUS GRAECIS SCHOLIIS, & CUM LATINIS IOACH. CAMERARII.
Geneva: Henricus Stephanus [Henri (II) Estienne], 1568. First Estienne Edition. Quarto, [8], 461, 242 pages. In Very Good condition. Rebound in full modern brown leather, with gilt tooling and lettering to banded spine. Housed in light brown cloth case. Boards show minimal wear to corners at head and tail of spine. Text block has several instances of light soiling to light-red dyed edges, with moderate toning to top edge. Text block has very light age toning to pages throughout. Pencil annotations indicating line numbers to ΟΙΔΙΠΟΥΣ ΤΥΡΑΝΝΟΣ (pp. 145-209) only. Ink ownership inscription in early (16th or 17th century) hand appears on title page. Modern marbled endpapers, with matching modern cloth page marker. BW Consignment. Shelved case 3.
1394206
Shelved Dupont Bookstore
Price: $3,000
NOTES
Called by Schreiber “the great Estienne Sophocles", this edition of Sophocles' tragedies includes various scholia, including those of the 14th-century Byzantine scholar Demetrius Triclinius. Following the Greek text (in Garamond's "grecs du roi" typeface) is the commentary of Joachim Camerarius (with Latin versions of Ajax and Electra).
References: USTC 450242; LCL 20 p.19; Dibdin (v.2) p.411
The Estienne press was established in 1502 by the first Henri Estienne (c. 1460-1520), twenty years after his father disinherited him for his committed interest in the art of printing. The firm was eventually passed down to Henri's grandson, also called Henri (c. 1528-1598), who printed this text. The life of the younger Henri Estienne is a testament to the international nature of printing and the book trade in the 16th century. He was born in Paris, where he studied Latin, Hebrew, and Greek, and later travelled throughout Italy, England, and Flanders on behalf of the Estienne press, then run by his father. When he was 29 or 32, his father relocated the press from Paris to Geneva to avoid religious persecution. Henri joined the family in Geneva, but subsequently returned to Italy to work at the Aldine press in Venice. On his father's death, Henri took over the management of the family press in Geneva.
The Estienne press was particularly noted for its Greek editions and its fine Greek typeface; the Henri who printed this text issued a Greek lexicon and an edition of Plato's works that continued to be used by scholars for centuries after their publication.