Aristoteles: De historia animalium [Greek] Venice.

Includes nineteen tracts of Aristotle, some not genuine, and five of Theophrastus. Edited by Aldus Manutius with the assistance of Franciscus Caballus.

Venice: Aldus Manutius, Romanus, 29 Jan. 1497.
Fol.   aaαα-iiιι¹⁰ κκ¹⁰ llλλ-rrςς¹⁰ ſſσσ-zzψψ¹⁰ &&ωω¹⁰ AA-ΠΠ¹⁰ PP¹⁰⁺² ΣΣ-ΦΦ¹⁰ XX⁸ ※⁸.   1-400, [1], 401-457, [9] leaves (XX8 blank).
Woodcut Greek initials; woodcut floral and interlaced headpieces.
ISTC ia00959000; Goff A959 (III); BMC V 555 (IB. 24423); Bod-inc A-384 (III); GW 2334 (III); Ahmanson-Murphy 21; Walsh 2643.

Chronologically the second of the five volumes of Aristotle's Opera printed by Aldus Manutius in 1495-1498, but considered by him to follow the third, his edition of the Physica of Feb. 1497.

Note: Gathering PP consists of a 10-leaf quire, around which has been wrapped a bifolium also signed “PP” that supplies (on leaf PP1 recto only) text inadvertently omitted - see BMC - there thus being two consecutive leaves signed PP;  it is not foliated by the printer and its conjugate blank is in some copies found uncancelled as the final leaf in gathering PP.

Two copies held by the University of Glasgow.

Copy 1

GIP number:	A83/1
Shelf-mark:	Sp Coll Hunterian Bh.2.6 (see main library entry for this item)
Variants:	As signalled in CIBN A-504.   aaαα8r:  incorrect foliation “10” as in var. B;  ffζζ9r and ffζζ10v:  var. C;  yyχχ10r:  incorrect foliation “112” as in var. B;  BB2r:  incorrect signature “ΓΓ II” as in var. B;  ΘΘ6r:  correct foliation “316” as in var. A;  XX7v:  colophon is var. A.
Note:	A line of text omitted at the foot of κκ10v has been printed on a separate slip and pasted in.
Note:	The blank leaf conjugate with the inserted leaf in gathering PP has been cancelled (stub showing).
Note:	Uniformly bound as the third of a six-volume set with Bh.2.4; Bh.2.5; Bh.2.7, 8; Bh.2.9.
Provenance:	Villedonné, Seigneur de (17th century) - a member of the De la Grange family, who held the title Seigneur de Villedonné: washed-out inscription on aaaa1r “Coll. Aurel. Soc. Jesu. Cat. Ins. Dono D[omi]ni de Villedonne Senatoris Regij in Senatu Aurelianensi”. Orléans, Jesuits (founded 1617): see above. Louis Jean Gaignat (1697-1768), Secretary to King Louis XV: Gaignat sale, 1769; lot 831 in Guillaume de Bure, 'Bibliographie instructive: supplément ... ou catalogue des livres de feu M. L.J. Gaignat', 2 vols (Paris: 1769). William Hunter (1718-1783), physician and anatomist: purchased by Hunter at the Gaignat sale through his agent, Jean-Baptiste Dessain, for 205 livres 2 sous; see 'Dessain-Hunter correspondence' (University of Glasgow Library, MS Gen. 36, f.23r). University of Glasgow: Hunterian bequest, 1807; Hunterian Museum bookplate on front pastedown, with former shelfmark “Av.2.4”.
Binding:	France, 18th-century red goatskin decorated with triple gold fillets, a small gold fleuron at each corner;  gold-tooled spine;  marbled endpapers;  gilt-edged leaves;  green silk bookmark.   Size:  305 x 218 mm.
Leaf size:	296 x 210 mm.
Annotations:	Signature BB2, wrongly signed “ΓΓ II”, is corrected by hand, likewise signature KK5, wrongly signed “ΙΙ IIIII”.
Decoration:	None.
Imperfections:	None.

Copy 2 

GIP number:	A83/2
Shelf-mark:	Sp Coll Bh10-d.11 (see main library entry for this item)
Variants:	As signalled in CIBN A-504.   aaαα8r:  incorrect foliation “10” as in var. B;  ffζζ9r and ffζζ10v:  var. C;  yyχχ10r:  correct foliation “220” as in var. A;  BB2r:  correct signature “BB II” as in var. A;  ΘΘ6r:  correct foliation “316” as in var. A;  XX7v:  colophon is var. A.
Note:	A line of text omitted at the foot of κκ10v has been printed on a separate slip and pasted in.
Note:	The blank leaf conjugate with the inserted leaf in gathering PP has not been cancelled.
Note:	The final gathering ※8 is misbound in the middle of gathering ppοο.
Note:	Uniformly bound as the third of a five-volume set with Bh10-d.9; Bh10-d.10; Bh10-d.12; Bh10-d.13.
Provenance:	University of Glasgow:  source unknown;  shelfmark “K.8.4” on University Library bookplate matching entry in A. Arthur, Catalogus impressorum librorum in Bibliotheca Universitatis Glasguensis, (Glasguae:  1791).
Binding:	England, 18th-century gold-tooled red goatskin, bound by Christopher Chapman.   On both covers double fillets form a frame, within which is an ornamental roll (Nixon, ‘Harleian bindings’, pl. 14, Chapman roll 5);  the lozenge-shaped centre-piece frequently found on the covers of Harleian bindings is absent.   The head and tail of the spine are decorated with Nixon, ‘Harleian bindings’, pl. 14, Chapman roll 2, and the spine compartments are decorated with several individual tools including Nixon, ‘Harleian bindings’, pl. 15, Chapman no. 8;  the edges and turn-ins are decorated with Chapman roll 2;  marbled endpapers;  edges of leaves left plain.   Although associated with Chapman, this copy is not identifiable with the Harleian copy of the Aldine Aristotle, since it does not match Thomas Osborne’s description “foliis deaurat. & Lineis rubris” in his 'Catalogus bibliothecae Harleianae', vol. 1 (1743) no. 5373, and vol. 3 (1744) no. 935.   Size:  322 x 220 mm.
Leaf size:	304 x 208 mm.
Annotations:	Signature KK5, wrongly signed “ΙΙ IIIII”, corrected by hand; 18th-century shelfmark “K f.5. n.8” in ink on first front flyleaf.
Decoration:	None.
Imperfections:	Wanting XX8 (blank).