Teofrasto / Bodoni - Characterum - 1786

Vices and Virtues: The Masks of Theophrastus Reproduced by Bodoni
The Characters of Theophrastus represent one of the most subtle and enduring works of ancient moral literature: a gallery of human types, daily vices, and postures of the mind observed with nearly clinical precision and with a lucidity that spans the centuries. The Bodoni edition of 1786, elegant and philologically rigorous, restores the text in its most refined form, with the recovery of two unpublished chapters drawn from an eleventh-century Vatican manuscript. Bodoni's editorial project transforms a classic of Greek moral philosophy into a typographic object of high prestige, where the clarity of thought is reflected in the purity of form.
Market value
In the international market for Bodonian books, this 1786 edition of Teofrastus’ Characteres generally sells for between 1,500 and 2,000 euros, with higher figures for well-preserved copies, complete with the copper-engraved frontispiece and with contemporary bindings in good condition. The presence of the copper-engraved vignette on the title page and the quality of the paper significantly influence the valuation. The collated and complete copies, like the present one, are particularly sought after by collectors of classical philosophy and Bodonian typography.

Physical description and condition - collector's copy
Frontispiece copper-engraved with the portrait of the author, vignette etched in copper on the title page. Some foxing. Half antique parchment, gilt title on a spine label, yellowed edges. In old books, with a multi-century history, there may be some imperfections, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 18nn; 128; (2).

Full title and author
Two chapters of Theophrastus of Eresus's Ethics of Characters, hitherto anecdotal.
Parma, from the Royal Typographia, 1786.
Theophrastus of Eresus.

Context and Significance
The Characters of Theophrastus constitute the first great systematic repertoire of moral types in the history of Western philosophy. Brief portraits of deviant behaviors, social obsessions, and small daily meannesses anticipate modern character literature, from La Bruyère to Enlightenment satire. The Parmense edition of 1786 takes on particular value because it is based on a Vatican manuscript from the 11th century, from which two chapters, hitherto unpublished, are drawn. Amaduzzi’s work combines philological rigor and exegetical clarity, while Bodoni’s intervention gives the text an exemplary typographic appearance, in keeping with the Neoclassical ideal of order, measure, and readability. The work thus stands at the crossroads between erudite philology, moral philosophy, and the art of typography.

Biography of the Author
Theophrastus of Eresus (ca. 371–287 BC) was a Greek philosopher, direct student and successor of Aristotle at the head of the Lyceum. A prolific author, he stood out especially for his works on ethics, botany, and the natural sciences. The Characteres represent his most well-known contribution to moral reflection, offering a concrete and non-abstract analysis of human behavior.

BIOGRAPHY OF ARISTOTLE
Aristotle (384–322 B.C.), born in Stagira, was one of the greatest philosophers of antiquity and founder of the Lyceum in Athens. A student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great, he developed a system of thought that encompasses logic, metaphysics, ethics, politics, biology, and poetry. His influence on Western philosophy has been uninterrupted for more than two millennia, and the Peripatetic school, led after his death by Theophrastus, continued and developed its intellectual heritage.

Printing history and circulation
Printed at the Regio Tipografo in Parma, the 1786 edition ranks among the most ambitious philological projects of Bodoni in his mature phase. Destined for a audience of European scholars, it enjoyed a selective yet authoritative circulation, consolidating the Parma typographer’s reputation as the ideal interpreter of Greek and Latin classics. The combination of Greek text, Latin translation, and scholarly apparatus made it a reference point for Theophrastean studies between the XVIII and XIX centuries.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU / OPAC SBN
WorldCat
National Library of France
A. La Penna, Classical Culture in the Italian Eighteenth Century
G. Bodoni, Typographic Manual
Studies on the manuscript tradition of Theophrastus' Characters
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