Basilii Fabri Sorani Thesaurus eruditionis scholasticae, omnium usui et disciplinis omnibus accommodatus post celeberrimorum virorum Buchneri, Cellarii, Graevii operas et adnotationes et multiplices A. Stübelii et Io. Mat. Gesneri curas iterum recensitus, emendatus, locupletatus.

Frankfurt , Leipzig (Francofurti, Lipsiae), In taberna libraria Ioh. Frid. Gleditsch, 1749. Folio. 2 parts in 1: (X) p.; 1792;1308 columns; (198 index) p. Vellum 39.5 cm (Ref: Brunet 2,2/1146; Ebert 7243: the best edition; Graesse 2,540; Spoelder p. 618/19: Kampen 2) (Details: Back ruled gilt. Red morocco shield in the 'second compartment'. Board with gilt borders, and the gilt coat of arms of Kampen. Woodcut of Pegasus on the title. Printed in 2 columns. At the one finds a 198 p. 'Index germanico-latinus rerum, vocabulorum, phrasium, descriptionum & locutionum proverbialium') (Condition: Vellum slightly soiled, and age-toned. Folds in the half title and front flyleaf. Paper foxed and yellowing. Some faint waterstains) (Note: The German schoolmaster and lexicologist Basilius Faber, born ca. 1520 in Sorau, nowadays Polish Zary, was 'einer der bedeutensten Schulmänner des 16. Jahrhunderts'. He produced a 'Thesaurus' which long survived him. He died in 1576. (ADB 6, p. 489/90) The work was first published in 1571, and later revised and augmented by scholars like Cellarius and Graevius. The last and best re-edition is this edition, produced by the German classical scholar Johann Matthias Gesner, 1691-1761. It is a Latin dictionary/encyclopedia, with German and sometimes Greek equivalents. Lemmata are arranged under the word from which they derive. The article 'eo', 'to go', for instance fills 5 pages, and offers in alphabetical order all possible derivative composita, from 'abeo' to 'transeo', and under each of these verbs, we find, again in alphabetical order, numerous lemmata; e.g. under 'coëo' we find the short derivative articles 'coiens', 'coitus' 'coitio', 'coibilis', 'incoibilis', 'coetus', with the German equivalent and a number of elucidating 'loci' in ancient authors. Sometimes articles are of an encyclopedic nature, e.g. a word like 'charta'. This word, 'paper', receives one whole densely printed column, covering all kinds of aspects of paper in ancient sources, papyrus, biblos etc. This really is a classical 'Fundgrube'. It is 'nicht blos ein Lexikon der lateinischen Sprache, sondern recht eigentlich eine Schatzkammer, die durch reiche Phraseologie, sowie durch Aufnahme von Sentenzen, Sprüchen, Geschichten etc. zu freierer Bewegung im Gebrauche des Lateinischen anleiten und nebenbei auch sonst bildende Elemente darbieten sollte'. (Op. cit. p. 489) The preliminary papers include the prefaces of earlier editions, of A. Bucherus (1625 and 1655), of Cellarius (1692), of A. Stübel (1717), and of I.M. Gesner (1635)) (Collation: a-b4, chi2, A-5V4, chi1, A-4M4, 4N4 (minus blank leaf 4N4), A-2A4, 2B2, 2C2 (leaf 2C2 blank)) (Photographs on request) (Heavy book, may require extra shipping costs)