Catullus. Tibullus. Propertius Parisiis 1543 Printing Roman Love Poems from 16th Century Has Been Appraised 4 1/4" x 3 7/8" x 3/4" Leather

SPECTACULAR collector's edition!!

"CATULLUS. TIBULLUS. PROPERTIUS Parisiis 1543 Ex officina Simonis Colinae".
Roman Love Poems from 16th Century 1543 Printing. 4 1/4" x 3 7/8" x 3/4" Leather bound.

I took this to be verified by Antiques Roadshow in September, 2023. I had questions about why the date was not also printed in Roman Numerals. The expert who saw me verified that it is, indeed, from the 1743 printing of the book, but he wasn't able to give me a narrow range of prices. He told me that depending on condition and where it is sold it could sell for $500-$1,000. It has its original leather cover and its original marbled flyleaf pages in the front and back. The only illustration is the title page. It is, of course, written in Latin.

I very recently had it appraised verbally by someone who once worked for Sotheby's and she also verified its authenticity and gave me a narrower price range of $550-$750. It is in excellent condition with a fully intact binding. The marbling of the endpapers shows some signs of wear (It is, after all almost 600 years old!). The spine and edges of the binding also show some signs of edgewear. Please see pictures and ask for more detailed ones if you need them. Neither of these appraisals are in writing.

I know NOTHING about these Roman poets. My mother purchased this book many years ago and treasured it, but I never really was allowed to touch it until she passed. I was able to find the following on mccunecollection.org regarding the three poets:

Gaius Valerius Catullus (84 BC –ca. 54 BC). Latin poet famous for Roman elegy poetry. He was born in Verona. He wrote of devotion for his love, Lesbia (pseudonym for Clodia). One famous line from his work is “Let us live, my Lesbia, and let us love.” About 113 of his poems survive.

Albius Tibullus (54 BC – 19 BC). Latin poet who wrote love poetry. He was one of the elegy poets. He wrote of his love Delia (pseudonym for Plania) and for Nemesis.

Sextus Aurelius Propertius (ca. 50 BC – 15 BC). Latin poet from Umbria. He is one of the major elegist poets. Only four books of his work, Elegies, survive from the Roman period. Propertius wrote of his beloved Cynthia and proclaimed his slavery to love.

If there is a collector of 16th century books, this would be an INCREDIBLE gift!! I have kept it since my mother passed in 1988, but I don't have a true appreciation of this book, and it needs to be owned by someone who will love and keep it safe.

This book will be fully insured when mailed.

GIVING VINTAGE NEW LIFE!!