Luciani Palinurus. Luciani Scipio romanus. Luciani heroica in amorem. Luciani Asinus aureus. Bruti

Luciani Palinurus. Luciani Scipio romanus. Luciani heroica in amorem. Luciani Asinus aureus. Bruti romani epistole. Diogenes cynici epistole, collation: A B?? a b?? c??, 38 leaves, (c6 blank), gatherings A-B contain the works by or attributed to Lucian, types: 80G, leaded (title), 75G, leaded (text), 28 lines, capital spaces, all but one with guide letters, damp-stain to half the work, mostly to inner margin, early 19th century German marbled boards, rubbed, small 4to (193 x 138mm.), Avignon, [Pierre Rohault, Michel du Ruzeau and Richard le Gentilhomme, for Nicolaus Tepe], 15 October 1497.*** The first printed book at Avignon and a great rarity in commerce. ISTC records 23 copies and 3 copies in the US. No copies appear in the auction records. The last record of a sale we could locate was the Bernard Quaritch 1886 catalogue (#208) in which this work is described as "excessively rare".The work is a very interesting example of provincial French printing, often the product of itinerant presses in search of ecclesiastical commissions. Nevertheless, this Sammelband of humanistic texts was almost certainly one of the first French incunabula intended specifically for student use. "Luciani Palinurus" is actually Vegius' De felicitate et miseria dialogus; "Luciani Heroica in amorem" is Moschus' The runaway love; "Luciani Asinus aureus" is not included in any copy known.Provenance: Dr Kloss, (bookplate, sold at Sotheby's in1835, lot 2334).Literature: ISTC il00327000; GW M19072; Goff L327; HC 10268; Pell Ms 7298 (7239); Maignien (Grenoble) 243; Polain (B) 2525; BMC VIII 412.