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

LIVIO RISCOPHÉ IN THE MAGONZA FORESTS: A NEVER-REPRINTED FIRST EDITION
An event of extraordinary scope for the humanists of the Cinquecento: the rediscovery in Mainz of new books of Livy’s Ab urbe condita, hitherto unknown, culminates in this rare first edition, carefully printed in a philological manner by Johannes Schöffer between 1518 and 1519. The work represents a decisive milestone in recovering the historical memory of ancient Rome. Enriched by magnificent woodcut initials attributed to the Hans Holbein master, the print is today invisible in catalogs and online libraries. A capital edition, both for its content and for its bibliographic and decorative value.
MARKET VALUE
Extremely rare edition, absent from major international catalogs and digital libraries. It is cited only in antiquarian catalogues (Vetraio 1682–1982, UB Amsterdam exhibition catalog, 97; Geerebaert CXV, 3). The presence of fine decorative elements and the discovery of books unknown until the Renaissance give this exemplar exceptional historical and collector’s value. Complete copies of this imprint very rarely appear on the antiquarian market.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
pp. [2]; 730; [2]. Half-leather binding with stiff boards; title handwritten on the spine on a raised label. Frontispiece framed by woodcut, unreadable blue ownership stamp. Large woodcut initials attributed to Hans Lützelburger. Interior leaves well preserved, some minor staining but no loss. Good overall condition, genuine copy. Ex libris Jean Jacobs.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
T. Liuius Patauinus Historicus duobus Voluminibus Recens Ex Vetusto Codice Moguntin Bibliothecae
Gedruckt in Mainz, im Verlag von Johannes Schöffer, 1518–1519
Tito Livio

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
This edition marks a turning point for classical studies: books 33,17 ff. up to book 40,37, long lost, were discovered in a Mainz monastery and immediately entrusted to the printing shop of Johannes Schöffer, heir to the great Gutenbergian tradition. The edition was prepared with utmost care, both for textual accuracy and printing quality, with elegant woodcut initials designed by one of the era’s most important German engravers, Hans Lützelburger, a collaborator of Holbein. The recovery of these texts was celebrated as a philological and patriotic triumph by the humanists, who recognized in it the rebirth of the republican and civic values of ancient Rome.

SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Titus Livius (Tito Livio) was born in Padua in 59 BCE and died there in 17 CE. After training in his homeland, 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 complete survive, he celebrated the virtues of the Roman Republic in a solemn, moralizing, and strongly patriotic style. He was in close relationship with Augustus, despite his pro-Pompeian sympathies, and his work was considered an indispensable 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 Mainz manuscript codex. The printing is situated within the context of the second-generation German humanism, heir to Poggio’s lesson and Italian Renaissance philology. Schöffer’s choice, a printer tied to the Gutenberg legacy, and the Lützelburger decorative apparatus give the volume artistic relevance as well as philological. This edition remains unique in critical value, decoration, and bibliographic rarity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Vetraio 1682–1982, Cat. mostra UB Amst., 97; Geerebaert CXV, 3. No copy cataloged in the main online catalogs consulted (OPAC, WorldCat, KVK as of 2025).