Apollonius Rhodius: Argonautica [Greek].

With the Scholia of Lucillus, Sophocles, and Theon.   Edited by Janus Lascaris.

Florence:  [Laurentius (Francisci) de Alopa, Venetus], 1496.
4to.   α-θ⁸ I⁸ κ-φ⁸ χ⁴.   [172] leaves, the last blank.
ISTC ia00924000; GW 2271; Goff A924; BMC VI 667 (IB. 28023); Bod-inc A-361; CIBN A-478; BSB-Ink A-650

Two copies held by the University of Glasgow.

Copy 1

GIP number:	A70/1
Shelf-mark:	Sp Coll Bh20-a.11 (see main library entry for this item)
Provenance:	George Buchanan (1506-1582), Scottish humanist poet and historian:  on α1r “Ex libris co[mmun]is bibliothecae Collegii Glasguensis ex dono Georgij Buchananj”;  donated 1578 - see Cosmo Innes, ed., 'Munimenta alme Universitatis Glasguensis', (Glasgow:  1854) vol. 3, p. 407. University of Glasgow:  shelfmark “AM f3 n3” on α1r matching entry in 'Catalogus librorum Bibliothecae Universitatis Glasguensis anno 1691' (University of Glasgow Library, MS Gen. 1313);  shelfmark “A.3.12” on University Library bookplate on front pastedown matching entry in A. Arthur, 'Catalogus impressorum librorum in Bibliotheca Universitatis Glasguensis', (Glasguae:  1791);  a superseded 20th-century shelfmark “Bn7-g.18” on bookplate.
Binding:	16th-century pasteboards covered with part of a 15th-century(?) parchment document, which is blank on its exposed side but with evidence of a legal text in Latin on its verso where the parchment has become slightly detached from the rear board;  holes for four leather ties (only fragments of which remain);  green-edged leaves;  early manuscript title on front cover in Greek.  Size:  245 x 182 mm.
Leaf size:	239 x 177 mm.
Annotations:	16th-century marginalia in Greek (mainly extracting keywords) on α1r, α2r, α2v, α3r, τ3v;  the Greek letters β, γ, δ - written in an early hand - appear in the middle of the top margin of recto leaves from leaf η5 onwards indicating the second to fourth books of the text (this numbering stops after σ6);  paginated in an early hand “1” – “201” on rectos only i.e. odd numbers only used (except for page 200 which has been included in the numbering), remainder of book unpaginated;  manuscript title in Latin on front flyleaf “Apolonij Argonautica”;  early shelfmark "f2 v/6" on rear pastedown.
Decoration:	None.
Imperfections:	Wanting the final blank leaf χ4.

 

Copy 2

GIP number:	A70/2
Shelf-mark:	Sp Coll Hunterian Bh.3.26 (see main library entry for this item)
Provenance:	William Hunter (1718-1783), physician and anatomist:  source unknown. University of Glasgow:  Hunterian bequest 1807;  Hunterian Museum bookplate on front pastedown, with former shelfmarks “Ar.6.4” and “Bw.3.7”.
Binding:	England, 18th-century speckled calf;  covers decorated with a gilt ornamental-roll border;  spine decorated with the same roll, no evidence of a spine title;  marbled endpapers;  gilt-edged leaves.  Size:  241 x 179 mm.  Accompanying the book is a 17th-century(?) book jacket of crimson silk sewn onto a linen or cotton base;  the silk is embroidered with coloured and metallic threads;  each cover has an identical design incorporating a columbine(?) at the centre within an oval frame from which extend violas(?) and geraniums(?), and four medallion portraits at the corners;  the spine has lost most of its threadwork and at some stage a red leather title label “APOL. RHODIUS 1496” has been attached with glue but is now detached.
Leaf size:	233 x 169 mm.
Annotations:	Unread early ownership(?) inscription on α1r (partially overwritten and cropped);  18th-century price in ink “£2.12s.6d” (partially erased) on front flyleaf;  note from T.F. Dibdin’s 'An introduction to the knowledge of rare and valuable editions of the Greek and Latin classics' tipped-in at front.
Decoration:	None.
Imperfections:	None.