[ANTIPHONAL BINDING] Lucio Anneo Séneca - L. et M. Annaei Senecae Tragoediae - 1675

DESCRIPTION: I present to you at auction a truly fascinating and bibliographically rare specimen from the famous Tragedies of Lucius Annaeus Seneca, edited and annotated by the classical scholar Thomas Farnaby.

Printed in London in 1675 (MDCLXXV) by the printer Johannes Redmayne, this volume stands out for its portable format, excellent conservation, and its rich combination of unique bibliophilic elements.

A UNIQUE BINDING WITH ANCIENT ANTIPHONAL MUSICAL HOLDS

The exterior appearance of this copy is a genuine rarity of artisanal craft:

+ Antiphonal leaf binding: The book is dressed with a fascinating musical binding from an ancient antiphonary or liturgical songbook (probably 18th century) with musical notation on a stave (square notes on black lines) and fragments of Latin text with psalm passages and alleluias ("su—um, al-le-lu-ia...", "omnis terra", "Da-te gloriam"). This practice of recycling old musical manuscripts and prints to protect pocket books was highly valued in historical bookbinding workshops.

EXTREMELY RARE EDITION: THE LAST AND DEFINITIVE FARNABY EDITION

This bibliographic gem of 1675 has an exceptional pedigree, is officially catalogued in the English Short Title Catalogue under reference ESTC R203534, and the legendary historic bookseller Quaritch expressly identifies it as the last edition of Thomas Farnaby’s foundational commentary, thus consecrating it as the definitive text of his influential reading on Seneca. An extremely rare edition and, to this day, the only copy available for sale on the international market. A work of unique characteristics and rarity.

FRONTISPIECE ENGRAVED AND TYPOGRAPHIC TITLE

+ Frontispiece (Copper Engraving): A charming copperplate engraving showing a classical theatrical scene beneath a decorated curtain with columns, with an enthroned emperor figure at the top, flanked by scholars and characters from the tragedies holding books. At the bottom reads: "Londini, Ex officina Johannis Redmayne MDCLXXV".
+ Typographic Title: Elegant two-colour typography and decorative blocks bearing the classic title of the tragedies of the two Senecas (L. et M. Annæ Senecæ Tragoediæ), enhanced with a floral woodcut vignette and Redmayne’s London imprint of 1675.

PROVENANCE AND HANDWRITTEN NOTES (EX-LIBRIS AND TRANSCRIPTION)

The interior preserves handwritten traces of former English owners across the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries:

+ Institutional Ex-Libris: Retains in its pastedowns the printed seal of the historical legacy: "BEQUEATHED TO the Bishopric of Cornwall, BY the Rev. Franke Parker, M.A., Rector of Luffincott, Devon, 1883", along with ecclesiastical cataloging numbers from that era.
+ Transcription of the Ancient Handwritten Note: On the flyleaves and endpapers are signed and ink-noted markings in ferrogallic ink from the 17th and 18th centuries documenting the ancestral chain of transmission of the copy. Its literal transcription is:
"Sum Ex libris Francisci Ponnock 1695. Nunc sum Ex libris Caroli Ponnock Caroli Ponnock filius 1735"
(Translation: "I am the property of Francis Ponnock, 1695. I am now the property of Charles Ponnock, son of Charles Ponnock, 1735").

CONTENT OF THE WORK: SENECA’S TRAGEDIES AND ROMAN THEATRE OF CRUELTY

This volume collects the complete tragic theater of Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the apex of the Latin dramatic genre and an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Elizabethan and European Baroque theatre. The following are among the tragedies included in the book:

+ Medea: The terrible tragedy of the sorceress from Colchis, jealous revenge, infanticide, and black magic spells.
+ Troades (The Trojan Women): The suffering of Hecuba, the mournful sacrifice of Polyxena, and the vengeful shadow of Achilles after the fall of Troy.
+ Hercules Oetaeus (Hercules in the Oetaean) and Hercules Furens: Madness induced by the gods, the hero’s labors, and his mortal agony devoured by the tunic of Nessus.
+ Octavia: The only Roman tragedy with a historical theme that has survived (attributed to Seneca), focusing on the crimes of Nero, the repudiation and execution of Octavia, and the sinister machinations of Agrippina and Poppaea.

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: London (England, United Kingdom) 1675.

LANGUAGE: Latin (Original Version)

SIZE AND PAGINATION: Dimensions: 15 x 10 cm. Pagination: [4] + Frontispiece + Title + 344 + [10] pp. COMPLETE WORK

CONDITION: Antiphonal leaf binding (likely 18th century) over the original hard cardboard structure, generally good condition with some signs of use, as shown in the photos. Flat spine. The interior is generally well preserved, as shown in the photos.

RARE LONDON PRINTING COPY WITH A BEAUTIFUL AND CURIOUS BINDING. DO NOT LET IT SLIP AWAY.

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