Troy.- Early English provenance.- Columna (Guido de) Historia destructionis Troiae, collation: [a-i¹⁰ k⁸ l¹⁰ m-o⁸], [132] ff., the first and last blank, 34 lines (variable), Gothic type, opening initial in red and blue, the others in red, chapter headings, paragraph-marks and foliation in red, occasional early ink marginalia and notes in different hands (see note below), initial blank detaching, f.33 small section of upper corner torn away, affecting one number of supplied foliation, ff. 51 & 61 tear to lower inner corner, mostly marginal, but on f.51 just touching 1 letter recto and verso (without loss), f.94 short marginal tear at foot, a few ff. working loose, some spotting and staining, remains of early 17th century vellum document used in binding (mentioning Southwark), 17th century English calf over pasteboards, spine in compartments, covers with triple blind-ruled borders, head of spine and corners worn, rubbed and scuffed, housed in a modern dark brown morocco-backed cloth drop-back box, gilt, folio (284 x 196mm.), [The Netherlands,?Utrecht], [Printer of Alexander Magnus, ?Gerardus de Leempt], [c.1477-1479].

⁂ A very good wide-margined copy of the editio princeps of this history of Troy by the 13^th century Sicilian judge Guido de Columna. Here with evidence of early English readership. Only two other copies (one of this edition) are recorded as being in England before 1557. Recorded holdings show no copies in an Italian institution, and locate only one in the United States (Walters, Baltimore). Furthermore, we can trace no other copy at auction.

Around 1271 Matteo della Porta, the Archbishop of Salerno had suggested to the author that he write a work in Latin on the fall of Troy. The first book was written within the lifetime of the archbishop, but without his encouragement the final 34 books were not written until 1287, when all were completed within three months. The work is based on the mid-twelfth century Roman de Troie of Benoît de Saint-Maure. The first book goes back to Peleus, father of Achilles, and the search for the Golden Fleece, while the final book deals with the death of Ulysses. It enjoyed huge success in its time.

It is one of only four books that are attributed to the so-called 'Printer of the Historia Alexandri Magni'. It has been suggested that the printer was in fact Gerardus de Leempt. The suggested timeframe of printing comes from the watermarks present, which are found in books printed 1477-1479 (see Watermarks in Incunabula printed in the Low Countries, available through the ISTC entry). It is feasible that the 'historia troiana' written on the first and final blank in red crayon was done so at the atelier of the printer.

Provenance: 'Wyllyam Algar' and 'Tho secund[?i]' (?Thomas Twine) (16th century ink inscriptions to recto of initial blank); 'Nulla sors longa, dolor est voluptas / invicem cedunt; brevior voluptas', a quotation from Seneca's Thyestes, ll.596-597 (ink inscription of c.1600 to recto of front blank); f.131 ink accounting notes in an English 16th century hand and a few lines from book III of Chaucer's Book of Fame, ll. 1564-1572; The Macclesfield copy (engraved North Library armorial bookplate with press mark 116. F. 12, and armorial blind-stamp to upper margin of first 3 ff.).

References: BMC IX, 108; Goff C-768; HC 5505; GW 7224; Bod-Inc C-392; BSB-Ink G-431; ISTC ic00768000.