C. Ivlii Cæsaris quæ extant ex emendatione Ios. Scaligeri

Leiden: Ex Officina Elzeviriana, 1635. Early or original full vellum, flat spine. Mild soiling to vellum, with a very little tan leather adhering to front board near spine. Corners slightly pushed in. With worn bookseller's paper tab tipped in to inside rear board, partially torn where it protrudes from top edges, with '1st edition' just legible. 12mo (7.6 x 13.2cm). Front hinge very slightly tender, with cracking at gutter before title page. Pencil inscription and armorial bookplate of 'Alfred Cock of the Middle Temple' to inside front board: Alfred Cock (1849-1898), Queen's Counsel, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, prominent member of the Positivist Society and one of the finest judges of old silver in England (British Armorial Bindings). Pen inscription to this bookplate in old hand: 'Bought at W. Ridler's stall. Booksellers' Row, Strand. 14.1.82.' Almost certainly Cock's record of his purchase from William Ridler (fl.1877-1904), bookseller, 45 Booksellers’ Row, The Strand, London. Bookplate in red and black blackletter to front flyleaf: 'Ex libris Jhnis Srti Nightingale Termino Paschae mcmlviii'. Engraved title page. 3pp. dedicatory epistle by B. & A. (Bonaventure and Abraham) Elzevir to Jacobo (Jacob) Skytte (1613-1654), who became the first rector of Dorpat university in 1633 and was renowned for his lectures on Caesar. 3 folding maps, all in good condition except for minor worm damage (4, 2, & 3 holes respectively, all c. 0.4cm). 6 woodcut illustrations, including medallion portrait of Caesar and 5 full-page woodcuts. Decorated initials and head-pieces. A little scattered foxing throughout. Minor worm damage: one hole from blank front endpage through to rear of volume, c. 0.4cm at greatest extent but generally much smaller, mildly affecting images and text. Pinprick hole to outer margin from sig. **2r onwards. Line of worm damage (2cm) to blank rear endpage only. Gatherings X and Y have been transposed in this volume: all pages are present, but sigs Y-Y12 (pp. 505-528) are bound in before sigs X-X12 (pp. 481-504). There were three 1635 Elzevir impressions of this first edition. This is the first impression, readily identified as such by the buffalo's head in the head-pieces to the dedicatory epistle and p. 1, and by the the numbering of pp. 149, 335, & 475, which are incorrectly numbered 153, 245, & 375. As such, this is one of the most celebrated and highly prized Elzevir productions: of all the masterpieces produced under Bonaventure and his nephew Abraham, Willems (1885) 'would not hesitate to award the palm to the Caesar', 'certainly one of the most beautiful of the Elzevirs' and 'one of the most enviable jewels that can adorn the case of a bibliophile' (Willems 420, p. 103). More fully: 'La beauté de l'impression, en caractères neufs, la netteté du tirage, le goût qui a présidé au choix des ornements, la finesse et la solidité du papier, l'heureuse dimension du volume, la pureté et la correction du texte, tout concourt à faire du César de 1635 un des plus enviables joyaux qui puissent orner l'écrin d'un bibliophile' (ibid). Includes also the commentaries ascribed to Hirtius. Despite the transposition of two gatherings, a good clean copy of one of the finest of all Elzevir editions, in seventeenth-century binding. Willem 420. ~Robust packaging. All UK orders trackable, others available on request. . 1st edn thus. Hardback. Very Good+. (24), 480, 505-28, 481-504, 529-561, (70)pp. Binding sound, text unmarked.