Heliodorus Emesenus / Ηλιόδωρος ο Εμεσηνός, “Ηλιοδώρου Αιθιοπικής ιστορίας βιβλία δέκα. Heliodori Historiae Aethiopicae libri decem, nunquam antea in lucem editi”, Basel, ex Officina Hervagiana, February 1534. Editio princeps Small 4to (19 x 14 cm), pp. [7], 242, [1] leaf with printer’s mark. Written in the 3rd cent. AD, Aethiopica is considered as the oldest and best of the Greek romances that have come down to us. The current First Edition is based on a manuscript from the library of Matthias Corvinus, found at the sack of Buda (Ofen) in 1526, now codex graecus 157 of Bayerische Staatsbibl. The romance had a tremendous impact through the centuries and was translated into nearly all European languages – Hoffmann counts more than 70 editions up to 1820, Racine had memorized it and Verdi has adopted parts of it for his opera Aida. 18th century full Russia leather, with boards richly decorated in gilt, gilt edges and inner edges, flat spine richly gilt. Bottom corner of lower cover chipped, slightly rubbed along edges. Some light marginal foxing to first and last leaves. Old marginalia in brown ink: corrections of the text. Adams H-174; Hoffmann II, 197.