De Rerum Natura Libri Sex
Birmingham: Baskerville, 1772. Full Leather. Quarto. Very Good. Item #34620
Pp. [2], 280. Contemporary speckled calf, narrow gilt foliate border with a small Tudor rose in centre surmounted by a gilt coronet, rebacked with gilt and blind tooling between raised bands, gilt label, marbled endpapers (renewed). Extremities a little rubbed, corners worn, otherwise an excellent, clean, crisp copy. One of the last four famous Baskerville quarto editions of the classics, noted for "their magnificence of type, paper, ink, and presswork" (DNB). According to Gaskell, there were between 1000 and 1500 copies of Lucretius printed, of which 800 copies remained unsold in 1775 when Baskerville's widow was trying to sell the printing office (Gaskell, p. xxii). Gaskell 43. Gordon 20.
Price (CAD): $1,250.00