ΟΜΗΡΟΣ / HOMER, “Poetarum omninm seculorum longe principis Homeri, omnia quae quidem extant opera, graece…”, [BOUND WITH] “ODYSSEA Homeri, Reliquaque eius opuscula” Basel, Nikolaus Brylinger, 1551.

THE FIRST BILINGUAL EDITION OF HOMER IN GREEK / LATIN.

Folio, pp.292 + [7], 317. Text in parallel Greek and Latin. Woodcut printer’s device on title page,

A collection of Homer’s works produced by the Basel born humanist Heinrich Pantaleon, 1522-1595, professor of Greek & Latin in Basel. The first part includes the Iliad, while the second part the Odyssey, Batrachomachia, Homeric Hymns & "De Homeri vita" by Plutarch. The translation is probably of the Renaissance’s scholar Andreas Divus, originally printed in Venice, 1537. Brylinger adopted this translation and included the original Greek text in parallel columns, producing an edition intended mainly for educational purposes, following the growing interest in North Europe for Greek studies.

Bound in a contemporary blindstamped pigskin binding, richly decorated on both sides with miniature portraits and floral designs.

External: slightly worn, rubbed, leaving the decoration obscure in places, corners & edges worn. Internal: Title-page creased & with contemporary note in pen, small worm-hole in last leaves, small bumping hole on last 6 leaves, larger in two last leaves with small loss of text, reinforcing paper placed on back of last sheet and rear end-paper, free end-paper loose.

An important edition for the history of printing of Homer works in a wonderful North European renaissance binding.