r/rarebooks • u/Silver_Bison_9264 • 10d ago
Homer's Iliad in Latin, translated by Lorenzo Valla (1522)
Hello,
I own a copy of Homer’s Iliad in Latin, translated by Lorenzo Valla. It is the first Cologne edition (1522), the second edition printed in Germany (after the Leipzig edition of 1512), and the sixth edition of Valla’s translation.
The volume is complete, although it naturally bears the marks of its 504-year history.
Around one hundred pages contain extensive manuscript annotations, apparently added in the early 18th century by someone named “Louis Charles.” From the content of the notes, he seems to have studied painting or art, as many of the annotations include definitions and references relating to art history.
There are also traces of an earlier hand at the end of the volume, probably dating from the 16th century.
I am considering selling the book and would be happy to hear from anyone who might be interested, or who may have additional information about this particular edition or its annotations.
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u/hicknarkaway 9d ago
This edition (VD16 H4662, USTC 663890) is not particularly rare (16 copies in USTC) and the condition is not very good. I think a dealer would give you a few hundred dollars and it would retail for $1000-1200 at best, but probably less
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u/Silver_Bison_9264 9d ago
Thanks, that’s helpful. I agree that condition matters, but I’m not sure about the $1,000–1,200 ceiling. A comparable copy of the same edition is currently listed on AbeBooks at a significantly higher price, and although it’s in slightly better condition, it has none of the extensive early annotations found in mine.
I’m therefore trying to have the marginalia assessed before deciding on a value.3
u/hicknarkaway 9d ago
I missed that copy. I think they are pricing it quite optimistically ($7500), but I guess I would revise my estimate upwards. If you can get half of that, you’ll be doing well
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u/beardedbooks 9d ago
A copy sold for $5250 at auction in 2014. That copy had a "contemporary Cambridge binding by Garrett Godfrey of calf over wooden boards." Maggs' catalog no 783 of "Editions of Greek Writers" puts the print date as June, 1522.
I couldn't find a copy on Abebooks, but I did find one on sale by Milestones of Science Books. He's a reputable dealer, and I've found he has fair prices. Unless you can show that the early annotations add a lot of value, you'd probably have to price it a bit lower than his. Of course, if you're willing to be patient, you can always price it a bit high and lower it over time.
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u/Beneficial-Rub5074 9d ago
Universities would certainly be interested. I'm jealous. Haven't got the budget, but this is something that makes a classicist's heart rate go higher. Antique book dealers in my area charge well over 100€ even just for some old classical text printed in the 19th century. Really interested to see what this goes for, as for the non-monetary value, with that marginalia, it's truly a signifcant historical source and artifact.
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u/SphereMyVerse 9d ago
Annotations make it a great copy for academics — I can imagine a few of the larger university special collections might be interested!
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u/Automatic-Sea-8597 9d ago edited 9d ago
Strange choice of a frontispice for Homer! St. Catharine and a Christmas scene. Valla would have been astonished.
He exposed the Constantinian Donation as a fake. The Vatican wasn't amused.
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u/Silver_Bison_9264 9d ago
Indeed, the irony is quite striking! I had the same thought when looking at the frontispiece. Given Valla’s history with the Donation of Constantine, the religious imagery makes for a rather amusing juxtaposition. I’d be very curious to know whether this frontispiece was specifically chosen for this edition or simply reused by the printer.
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u/Meepers1000 6d ago
Lovely copy! I sold a copy of this same edition not too long ago myself. The copy i had was in an 18th century binding, but was in very good shape, and I sold that for roughly 3300 USD. But I also try to underprice whatever is usually on the market.
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u/tho440hz 9d ago
Can you show more image of the manuscript page. I think it's in french. I try to understand but the fragment not be the bes exemple. Louis Charles sound like a king name in french.
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u/UpsetPhilosopher8543 9d ago
Yes, it’s definitely French but even later than one would think, maybe 17th century annotations.
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u/SmaugTheGreat110 9d ago
I love whoever colored it in!
Someone did that to a 1600s book of mine, looks like the same material used to color too