Fedro - Fabularum Aesopiarum - 1778

ANIMAL MORALE: FEDRO AND THE ART OF THE TALE
Elegant witness to the eighteenth‑century humanistic tradition, this edition of Fedro’s fables edited by Petrus Burmannus restores in critical form one of the most influential moral texts of Latin literature. The brief apocryphal fables, laden with irony and disillusionment, become pedagogical instruments destined for the education of students. The premium parchment binding with the gilded arms of the city of Utrecht gives the volume an institutional and celebratory dimension, transforming it into a tangible symbol of merit and academic belonging.
MARKET VALUE
Editions of Fedro curated by Burman and preserved in premium Dutch bindings are appreciated for their philological quality and the historical value of the bindings. Valuations generally range between 900 and 1,200 euros, with premiums for well-preserved copies and particularly sharp gilded impressions.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Contemporary stiff parchment binding with the gilded coat of arms of the city of Utrecht on both boards, depicting the crowned civic arms supported by lions; good general condition with slight signs of wear; overall well-preserved copy. Frontispiece engraved; pages with some browning and foxing. In old books, with a several-century history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 60nn; 258; 74nn; (4).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Fabularum Aesopiarum libri V.
Lugduni Batavorum, Apud. Sam. et Joan. Luchtmans, 1778.
Phaedrus, Augusti Liberti.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The fables of Fedro represent one of the most important Latin reworkings of the Aesopic tradition. Through short verse narratives, the author offers a penetrating reflection on power relations, deceit, and human nature. The edition edited by Petrus Burmannus fits into the great era of Dutch philology, characterized by critical rigor and pedagogical attention. The text, aimed at teaching Latin and morality, finds in the premium binding a natural placement: an object of study and at the same time an official recognition of scholastic merit.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Phaedrus (Fedro), active in the 1st century CE, was a freedman likely of Macedonian origin. His fables, inspired by Aesop, represent one of the earliest examples of Latin didactic verse literature, characterized by moral tone and subtle social satire.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The 1778 edition, printed in Leiden by Luchtmans, testifies to the continuity of the Dutch academic editorial tradition. Copies bound in premium bindings were intended for students distinguished in their studies, often distributed by municipal or university authorities as an official acknowledgment of merit.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Storm van Leeuwen, Dutch Decorated Bookbinding in the Eighteenth Century, vol. IIB, p. 753
ICCU/OPAC SBN: to be verified (Phaedrus, Leiden 1778, ed. Burman)
WorldCat: Phaedrus, Fabulae, Leiden, Luchtmans, 1778
H. Bots – F. Waquet, La République des Lettres, Paris, pp. 210–225
F. R. D. Goodyear, The Classical Tradition, Cambridge, pp. 98–105