Tito Livio - [Post-Incunable] Codice Moguntin - 1518

LIVIO UNCOVERED IN THE MAGONZA FORESTS: A FIRST EDITION NEVER REPRINTED
An extraordinary event for the humanists of the sixteenth century: the rediscovery in Mainz of new books of Livy's Ab urbe condita, previously unknown, culminates in this rare first edition, carefully printed by Johannes Schöffer between 1518 and 1519. The work represents a decisive step in recovering the historical memory of ancient Rome. Enhanced by magnificent woodcut initials attributed to the master of Hans Holbein, the print is now elusive in catalogs and online libraries. A key edition, both for its content and its bibliographic and decorative value.
Market value
Very rare edition, absent from the main international catalogs and digital libraries. It is only cited in specialized antiquarian directories (Vetraio 1682–1982, cat. mostra UB Amst., 97; Geerebaert CXV, 3). The presence of valuable decorative elements and the discovery of books unknown until the Renaissance confer this copy with exceptional historical and collectible value. Complete copies of this edition are very rarely seen on the antiquarian market.

Physical description and condition
pp. [2]; 730; [2]. Half leather binding with stiff boards; manuscript title on the spine on a label. Frontispiece framed by woodcut, illegible blue ownership stamp. Large woodcut initials attributed to Hans Lützelburger. Inner pages well preserved, scattered spots but no missing pages. Overall good condition, genuine copy. Ex libris Jean Jacobs.

Full title and author
T. Liuius Patauinus, Historian, in two volumes, newly edited from an ancient manuscript in the Moguntine Library.
Printed in Mainz, published by Johannes Schöffer, 1518–1519
Titus Livius

Context and Significance
This edition marks a turning point for classical studies: the books 33,17 ff. to 40,37, lost for centuries, were discovered in a monastery in Mainz and immediately entrusted to the printing press of Johannes Schöffer, heir to the great Gutenberg tradition. The edition was carefully curated, both for the accuracy of the text and for the quality of the printing, featuring elegant woodcut initials designed by one of the most important German engravers of the time, Hans Lützelburger, a collaborator of Holbein. The recovery of these texts was celebrated as a philological and patriotic triumph by the humanists, who saw in it the rebirth of the republican and civic values of ancient Rome.

Short biography of the author
Titus Livius was born in Padua in 59 BC and died there in AD 17. After his education in his hometown, he moved to Rome, where he frequented the Augustan circle without ever holding public office. Author of the monumental 'Ab urbe condita,' a work in 142 books of which about 35 are complete, he celebrated the virtues of the Roman Republic with a solemn, moralizing, and strongly patriotic style. He maintained close relations with Augustus, despite his pro-Pompeian sympathies, and his work was considered an essential model of history for centuries.

Printing history and circulation
The Schöffer edition of 1518–1519 is the first to include books 33,17–40,37, discovered in a Moguntine manuscript codex. The print fits within the context of the second generation of German humanists, inheriting the lessons of Poggio and Italian Renaissance philology. Schöffer's choice, a printer linked to Gutenberg's legacy, and the decorative apparatus by Lützelburger give the volume artistic significance beyond its philological value. This edition remains unique in terms of critical value, decoration, and bibliographic rarity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Vetraio 1682–1982, UB Amst. catalog, 97; Geerebaert CXV, 3. No copies registered in the main accessible online catalogs (OPAC, WorldCat, KVK as of 2025).