Erasmus Roterodamus - [Post Incunable] Adagiorum Opus - 1528

Erasmus's Tower of Wisdom: Proverbs and Comments in the Post-Incunabula of Froben
Opera-world of proverbial wisdom, Erasmus's Adages represent one of the most extensive humanist endeavors of the early 16th century, a collection continuously expanded and layered like a living organism. In it, the proverb becomes not only a memory of the past but a tool for moral, political, and theological interpretation: an intellectual device through which to navigate the Greco-Latin heritage and rework it for Renaissance Europe.
Monumental folio binding, in pigskin, finely cold-embossed, signs of wear but a charming copy.
The Froben edition of 1528 is one of the most important in the textual history of the Erasmus corpus: the result of the crucial collaboration between Erasmus and the Basel printing workshop, it constitutes a mature, richly annotated version designed to circulate among scholars across Europe, so much so that many consider it an authentic summary of his vision.
Market value
Copies of the Froben 1528 edition of Adagia are very rare on the international market. Complete specimens, in contemporary bindings and in good condition, generally range between 3,000 and 6,500 euros, with higher prices for particularly fresh copies or those with notable provenance. Annotated copies from the sixteenth century are considered highly desirable by scholars and can fetch higher values when the notes are extensive or written by an identifiable hand.

Physical description and condition
Contemporary binding in pigskin leather on wooden boards, dry decoration with frames and rectangular modules, traces of the original metal clasps. Manuscript title written on the spine added at a later date. Worn covers with small losses. The typographic woodcut mark of Froben is present, repeated on the frontispiece and the last page. Numerous historiated initials in woodcut. Widespread ancient handwritten annotations along various pages, some humidity stains and signs of woodworm. Pages 64; 962; 2 unnumbered. Ex libris bookplate.

Full title and author
Work of Sayings
Basel, Ex Officina Frobeniana, 1528.
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus.

Context and Significance
The Adagia represent Erasmus's most ambitious project in the field of moral philology: a compilation of proverbs, mottos, and sayings from antiquity, accompanied by extensive commentary, often true essays. The work, begun in 1500 with about 800 adagia, grew to over 4,000 entries by the Froben edition of 1528, transforming from a simple florilegium into a monumental encyclopedia of classical culture. The textual structure intertwines linguistic tools, antiquarian erudition, critique of contemporary customs, and subtle moments of religious polemic, always balancing irony and moral engagement. The Froben workshop in Basel was the material cradle of the enterprise: thanks to its excellent typographic quality and the humanist tradition surrounding it, the Basel editions became the definitive form of the work and circulated throughout Europe. The inclusion of woodcut illustrations, decorative initials, and typographic marks enhances the symbolic function of the volume, conceived as a tool for transmitting wisdom and shaping the intellectual identity of Humanism.

Biography of the Author
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (1466–1536) was one of the central figures of European Humanism. A theologian, philologist, editor of the Fathers, and promoter of returning to the sources, he built his reputation on the purity of Latin and his ability to connect the classical heritage with first-century Christianity. He lived among the universities and courts of Northern Europe, was a friend and collaborator of the leading typographers of the time (Aldo Manuzio, Froben), and his works, from Novum Instrumentum to Moriae Encomium, shaped entire generations of scholars.

Printing history and circulation
The Adagia were first published in Paris in 1500 in an embryonic form. After Erasmus's migration to the Germanic world and his collaboration with Froben, the work experienced continuous expansions: 1508, 1515, 1520, 1523, and 1526 led to successive enlarged re-editions. The 1528 edition represents the eighth published by Froben and one of the most comprehensive of the entire cycle. Its circulation was immediate and widespread: adopted by schools, universities, and humanists, it became an essential reference text for rhetoric and philology in the 16th century.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
VD16 E 1939
Adams E 435
Van der Haeghen I, 3
Bezzel 77
Frobenian Repertories
Modern studies on Erasmus and the proverbial tradition (Grafton, Jardine, Screech)