Serie dell' Edizioni Aldine per Ordine Cronologico ed Alfabetico. Terza Edizione con Emendazioni e Giunte by [LAIRE, François Xavier]

One folding printed table. vi, 84, 195 pp., one leaf of colophon. 8vo, cont. blue paste-paper boards (a bit worn), uncut. Firenze: G. Molini, 1803. Fourth (in spite of the title-page) and final edition and rather scarce. "The opening sentence of the preface in the first three editions of this work makes it clear that 'this is not a catalogue of books printed by the Aldine Press, but a collection intended to lead to a more complete and disciplined study.' The list of Aldine imprints is based on the collection of Cardinal Étienne-Charles de Loménie de Brienne (1727-1794), whose librarian François Xavier Laire (1738-1799) is the anonymous, attributed author, or compiler, of the work. The author kindly asks readers for corrections, particularly as they related to items that are included incorrectly as Aldine imprints, or are overlooked and should be added. Such notices are to be sent to Abbot Antonio Cesare Burgassi, who, for this reason, is often assigned the authorship of the work...The third edition of 1791 and the fourth of 1803 incorporate additional information, ostensibly provided to Abbot Burgassi by correspondents."-Clemons & Fletcher, Aldus Manutius, 137. Fine copy, with the bookplate of Tammaro de Marinis (1878-1969), Neapolitan bookseller, book collector, and binding scholar. ❧ Bigmore & Wyman, I, p. 416. See Breslauer & Folter, Bibliography, 115.