Sophocles. Commentarii in septem tragedias, collation: ?⁶, ?⁸, ?⁸, ?-?⁸, ?⁴, ?-?⁸, ?-?^8, [202]ff., Greek and Roman type, Greek colophon on fol. B7v, blank spaces for capitals with printed guide letters, slightly foxed in places, first leaf lightly spotted and stained, a few Latin and Greek marginal notes in an early hand, modern red morocco, gilt, marbled board slip-case, a very fine, wide-margined copy, 4to, 203 x 130mm., Rome, Press of the Collegio Mediceo, 1518.

⁂ The editio princeps of the scholia or commentaries on Sophocles, which were not included in the first edition in Greek of his tragedies, published by Aldus in 1502. The text was carefully prepared by the well-known scholar from Constantinople Ianos Laskaris (c.1445-97), director of the Greek Gymnasium established on the Quirinal Hill in 1513 under the auspices of Pope Leo X. He based his edition on an authoritative manuscript now preserved in the Biblioteca Laurenziana in Florence (Laur. 32,9), which was acquired by Giovanni Aurispa in Constantinople in 1423. The handsome volume was printed by Zacharias Kalliergis, formerly active in Venice who at the time was in charge both of the students and the press of the Gymnasium. The school was closed shortly after the death of Pope Leo X in 1521, and all editions produced by its press are justly praised for their very high quality and are much sought after by collectors for their great rarity.

Literature: Adams, S 1460; STC Italian 634; Layton, The Sixteenth Century Greek Book in Italy, p. 329; Staikos, Charta of Greek Printing, pp. 280-284; Barberi-Cerulli, pp. 65-66, 76; A. Turyn, The Manuscripts of Sophocles, p. 16; É. Borza, "Venise, Rome et Florence: quatre exemples d'éditions de Sophocle en Italie au XVIe siècle", L'information littéraire 54 (2002), pp.13-22.