Valerio Massimo - Dictorum Factorumque - 1545

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OFFICINA ERASMIANA – VALERIO MASSIMO – I GRANDI ESEMPI DELLA ROMA ANTICA
Venetian sixteenth-century edition of the famous Dictorum factorumque memorabilium libri novem by Valerius Maximus, printed in 1545 “ex officina Erasmiana apud Vincentium Valgrisium.” Particularly suggestive is the very designation OFFICINA ERASMIANA adopted by Vincenzo Valgrisi: an editorial reference to the figure and intellectual prestige of Erasmus of Rotterdam and to European humanist culture, associated with Valgrisi’s famous typographic signboard. It is an editorial identity through which Valgrisi positioned his production within the prestigious horizon of Erasmusian Humanism. Valerius Maximus’s work, composed in the 1st century A.D., collects in nine books hundreds of episodes from Roman and Greek history arranged according to moral categories and constituted for centuries one of the main repertoires of exempla in the West. An exemplar enriched by Valgrisi’s mark on the frontispiece and at the end and preserved in the full parchment semiflexible contemporary binding.

REASONS FOR COLLECTING
* OFFICINA ERASMIANA – Suggestive designation by which Valgrisi evokes Erasmus’s prestige and European Humanism.
* VENEZIA 1545 – Renaissance edition printed by Vincenzo Valgrisi in the great international center of sixteenth-century printing.
* MARCA DI VALGRISI – The publisher’s characteristic trade mark appears both on the frontispiece and at the end.
* PERGAMENA COEVA – Exemplar preserved in its original full parchment from the sixteenth century.

MARKET VALUE
The designation “ex officina Erasmiana apud Vincentium Valgrisium” should be commercially valued more highly because it gives the edition a typographic identity far stronger than the generic label of a Venetian press. The Erasmus reference, together with the two appearances of the editorial mark, allows the volume to be presented in the broader context of European humanist publishing. Added to this are a renowned classical author, the relatively early date of 1545, and above all the contemporary parchment. It is therefore a book that can engage collectors of Latin classics, Roman history, Venetian typography, and sixteenth-century humanist culture alike. 500-700 euros.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Publisher’s mark by Vincenzo Valgrisi on the frontispiece and again at the end. Full parchment semiflexible contemporary; original lazes present, now absent. Exemplar preserved in its own sixteenth-century binding. Leaves 216; 8nn. Pages 448.
In ancient books, with a long history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description.

FULL TITLE
Valerius Maximus. Dictorum factorumque memorabilium libri novem.
Venetiis: ex officina Erasmiana apud Vincentium Valgrisium, 1545.

AUTHOR
Valerius Maximus (Valerio Massimo).

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Valerius Maximus composed the Factorum ac dictorum memorabilium libri novem in the 1st century A.D., during the reign of Tiberius. The work transforms the history of Rome and the ancient world into a vast repertory of exemplary conduct, organized into categories such as religion, discipline, courage, moderation, friendship, gratitude, justice, cruelty, and fortune. In the Renaissance this model found extraordinary resonance with humanist culture, which regarded ancient authors as fundamental tools for moral education and rhetoric.

LITERARY SIGNIFICANCE
The Dictorum factorumque memorabilium libri novem were one of the most important repertoires of exempla in Western culture. The thematic organization allowed orators, preachers, teachers, and writers to quickly find episodes from ancient history usable as examples of virtue or vice. The work enjoyed enormous manuscript and later typographic fortune, contributing to the transmission of the Roman historical imaginary from the Middle Ages to the modern era.

PRINTING HISTORY AND RARITY
Particularly significant is the typographic formula “EX OFFICINA ERASMIANA APUD VINCENTIUM VALGRISIUM.” Vincenzo Valgrisi was one of the important protagonists of Venetian publishing in the sixteenth century and used a strong editorial identity linked to Erasmus’s name. The expression “Officina Erasmiana” is a prestigious cultural and editorial sign, evoking international humanism and the intellectual world associated with the great Rotterdam humanist. Precisely for this reason the full frontispiece formula represents an element to be highlighted in antiquarian cataloging. The preservation of the edition in contemporary parchment and the presence of Valgrisi’s mark on frontispiece and end further strengthen the exemplar’s interest.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
ICCU – Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico, SBN, catalog of Italian antique editions and exemplars preserved in Italian libraries.
EDIT16 – ICCU, National census of Italian editions of the XVI century, for the edition and for the typographic-editorial production of Vincenzo Valgrisi.
USTC – Universal Short Title Catalogue, University of St Andrews, for the international census of XVI-century European editions.
CERL – Consortium of European Research Libraries, Heritage of the Printed Book Database, for exemplars and European localizations.
CERL Thesaurus – Vincenzo Valgrisi / Vincentius Valgrisius, for the activities and onomastic variants of the printer-publisher.
EDIT16 – Typographic marks, repertory of editorial and typographic marks used by Vincenzo Valgrisi.
WorldCat – OCLC, for international localization of Valerius Maximus’s sixteenth-century editions.
British Library, General Catalogue, collections of European printing of the sixteenth century.
Bibliothèque nationale de France, Catalogue général, ancient editions of Valerius Maximus.
Adams, H. M., Catalogue of Books Printed on the Continent of Europe, 1501–1600, in Cambridge Libraries, Cambridge University Press.
Brunet, Jacques-Charles, Manuel du libraire et de l’amateur de livres, entry Valère Maxime.
Graesse, Johann Georg Theodor, Trésor de livres rares et précieux, entry Valerius Maximus.
Valerius Maximus, Dictorum factorumque memorabilium libri novem, Venetiis, ex officina Erasmiana apud Vincentium Valgrisium, 1545.