Cato (Marcus Porcius) Varro, Columella & Palladius. Libri de re rustica, first Badius edition, collation: Aa⁶, A⁸, B⁶, a-t⁸, v⁶, x⁸, Roman type, title within elaborate woodcut architectural border, large printer's device of a press at centre, woodcut decorated initials, some criblé, numerous woodcut illustrations and diagrams in text, small wormholes to lower portion of front gutter, title lightly soiled with old repair to outer lower blank corner, without loss, a few leaves uniformly browned, some small stains and spots, handsome contemporary brown morocco over pasteboards, covers within blind fillets and two frames richly blind-tooled in floral patterns, traces of ties at edges, at centre of both covers cornerpieces and fleurons surrounding a quatrefoil-shaped medallion, with gilt inscriptions 'de re rustica' (upper cover), and 'm: cat: m: var l: col' (lower cover), spine with three raised bands, compartments blind-tooled with diagonal fillet pattern, edges with trace of original green colouring, minor scuffs to upper cover, upper joint slightly cracked, spine ends worn, minor wear to corners, front flyleaf lacking, folio (333 x 214mm.), Paris, Badius Ascensius, 1529.

⁂ A good, wide-margined and unsophisticated copy of the first Badius edition of this classical collection of texts on agriculture by the major Roman writers on the subject. This edition closely followed the Libri de re rustica published by Aldus Manutius in May 1514, and edited by the Venetian printer himself along with the humanist architect Giovanni Giocondo. Like the Aldine publication, the Parisian edition is thus supplemented with commentary by renowned humanists.

Literature: Not in Adams; Renouard Bade, II, pp. 263-264