[Early Incunable] - Eusebius - Evangelica Preparatione - 1473

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ALL ORIGINS OF CHRISTIAN THOUGHT: RARE VENERABLE INCUNABULO OF 1473
First Venetian edition of Eusebius of Caesarea’s Praeparatio Evangelica, printed in 1473 by Leonhardus Aurl in the Latin translation by Giorgio of Trebisonda. This is one of the earliest typographical testimonies dedicated to Greek patristics and one of the first editions of Eusebius to appear after the invention of the printing press. The volume preserves its historical and bibliographic value intact. The Lombard initials, added by hand after the printing, document precisely that transitional moment when the printed book still imitated the appearance of medieval illuminated codices.

WHY TO BUY
Praeparatio Evangelica is one of the foundational texts of Western Christian culture and one of the main sources through which many authors of classical antiquity, now lost, have survived. This exemplar offers several elements of great interest: the extremely rare 1473 Venetian incunabulum edition; one of the first patristic works printed in Italy; humanistic Latin translation by Giorgio da Trebisonda; valuable testimony of the pioneering phase of Venetian typography; original rubricated initials executed by hand; high appeal for collectors of incunabula, history of printing, and Church history. Even in fragmentary state, 15th-century incunabula are historically significant documents and increasingly sought after by libraries, universities, and specialized collections.

MARKET VALUE
The incunabula market assigns significant value even to fragments when they belong to very rare and historically important editions. The scarcity of cataloged copies, the antiquity of the print, and the importance of the work make this fragment considerably more interesting than ordinary liturgical or legal fragments from the fifteenth century. The presence of the original rubrications further increases its collectible appeal. Commercial valuation: €2,800–4,500.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
42 pages in folio (antico), belonging to the complete edition of about 150 leaves and corresponding to pages 268-306, 16-17 and 14-15. Text printed in an elegant Roman type. Two leaves preserve hand-done Lombard initials in red. Modern binding in reinforced cardboard with paper covering. Pages: (2); 42; (2). As with all old volumes, slight defects not expressly mentioned may be present.

FULL TITLE
EUSEBIUS CAESARIENSIS. De Evangelica Praeparatione. Latine versa a Georgio Trapezuntio. Venetiis, Leonhardus Aurl, 1473.

CONTEXT
Composed in the first decades of the 4th century, the Praeparatio Evangelica represents the most ambitious attempt of ancient Christianity to demonstrate how the philosophy and religion of the Greco world constituted a preparation for the evangelic revelation. The work gathers hundreds of quotations from philosophers, historians, and poets who were pagans, many of which are today preserved solely thanks to Eusebius’s transcriptions. For this reason the text holds extraordinary importance not only for the history of Christianity but also for the preservation of classical culture.

BIOGRAPHY
Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260–339) was the bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, a theologian, apologist, and the first great historian of the Church. His Historia Ecclesiastica earned him the title “Father of Church History,” while the Praeparatio Evangelica remains one of the most influential works of ancient Christian philosophy. The Latin translation used in this edition was produced by Giorgio da Trebisonda (1395–1486), one of the leading Byzantine humanists who migrated to Italy after the fall of Constantinople and a key figure in transmitting Greek heritage to the Western Renaissance.

PRINTING
Leonhardus Aurl belongs to the very first generation of Venetian printers, active as Venice was rapidly becoming the major European printing center. The 1473 edition fully reflects the early phase of humanist typography: elegant Roman type, layout inspired by manuscripts, and intentionally left blank spaces for professional rubricators to complete the volume with initials and hand decorations. This continuity between manuscript and print is one of the most fascinating aspects of 15th-century incunabula.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
ISTC ie00122000. GW 9433. Goff E-122. Hain-Copinger 6717. BMC V. IGI 3759. Bod-inc E-053. Proctor, Index to the Early Printed Books.