Plutarch. Quae extant opera, 7 vol., Ugo Foscolo's

Plutarch. Quae extant opera, 7 vol., Greek portion only (i.e. without the Latin translation), vol.7 with Appendix but not 'Index rerum et verborum' at end, Greek, Roman and italic type, woodcut device on title of vol.1, lacking some blank leaves but textually complete, some browning and occasional foxing, ink inscription in upper margin of first leaf of text in each vol. erased leaving slight stain, later vellum, gilt, green morocco spine labels, Ugo Foscolo's copy with ink corrections on 2 leaves in vol. 6 and some underlining in red pencil, 8vo (174 x 105mm.), [Geneva], Henri Estienne, 1572.

⁂ An exceptional set of the Greek portion of the first complete edition of Plutarch's works, edited by Henri Estienne "avec correction et elegance" (Renouard), and once owned by the outstanding Italian poet and patriot Ugo Foscolo. Foscolo's interest in the 'divine Plutarchus' was exemplified in his famous epistolary novel Le ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis, in which Plutarch's works are the beloved reading of the main character.
Foscolo began to write the Discorsi sopra gli uomini illustri di Plutarco at the beginning of the nineteenth century, but only the Proemio or Preface, dated 1 January 1801, was completed. His library was bought by his friend Quirina Mocenni Magiotti in 1816, when Foscolo decided on a self-imposed exile in London, and later it mostly came into the possession of the Biblioteca Marucelliana in Florence.

Provenance: the Italian poet Ugo Foscolo (1778-1827; white wax-stamp with the initials 'L.F.' on front pastedown of vol.1; loose paper slip inserted bearing ms. note 'N. 1552 du Catalogue de la Bibliothèque du Monsignor Foscolo vendu par autorité de justice de la Depositeria urbana pas le Ministere de libre Agazzi. La 1ere vente devais avoir lieu le 4 xmbre 1843 mais enfait la vente n'a eu lieu qu'en 1844 et le N. 1552 n'a été vendu qu'à la vacation en date du 22 mars 1844').

Literature: Renouard Estienne 134.2; Schreiber Estienne, 179; Schweiger i, 259; G. Gambarin, Scritti letterari e politici: dal 1796 al 1808, U. Foscolo, Edizione Nazionale, Firenze 1972, vol. vi, pp. lxiii-lxiv; La biblioteca fiorentina del Foscolo nella Biblioteca Marucelliana. Premessa di L. Caretti; introduzione, catalogo, appendice di G. Nicoletti. Firenze [1978].