Valerio Massimo - Dictorum Factorumque - 1545

OFFICINA ERASMIANA – VALERIO MASSIMO – I GRANDI ESEMPI DELLA ROMA ANTICA
Venetian sixteenth-century edition of the famous Dictorum factorumque memorabilium libri novem by Valerio Massimo, printed in 1545 «ex officina Erasmiana apud Vincentium Valgrisium». The name OFFICINA ERASMIANA adopted by Vincenzo Valgrisi is particularly evocative: an editorial reference to Erasmo da Rotterdam and European humanist culture, associated with Valgrisi’s famous printing mark. It is an editorial identity through which Valgrisi placed his production within the prestigious horizon of Erasmian Humanism. Massimo’s work, composed in the 1st century A.D., collects in nine books hundreds of episodes from Roman and Greek history organized by moral categories and for centuries constituted one of the principal repertoires of exempla in the West. A splendid copy marked by Valgrisi on the title page and at the end, preserved in genuine semiflexible parchment.

REASONS FOR COLLECTING
* OFFICINA ERASMIANA – Evocative name by which Valgrisi recalls the prestige of Erasmus and of European Humanism.
* VENEZIA 1545 – Renaissance edition printed by Vincenzo Valgrisi in the great international center of sixteenth‑century books.
* MARCA DI VALGRISI – The publisher’s distinctive imprint appears on the title page and at the end.
* PERGAMENA COEVA – Copy preserved in its original full parchment from the XVI century.

MARKET VALUE
The label «ex officina Erasmiana apud Vincentium Valgrisium» should be commercially enhanced because it gives the edition a much stronger typographic identity than the generic definition of Venetian printing. The Erasmian reference, together with the emblem present twice, allows the volume to be presented in the broader context of European humanistic publishing. Added to this are a classical author of great renown, the relatively early date of 1545, and above all the contemporaneous parchment. It is therefore a book that can appeal to contemporaneous collectors of Latin classics, Roman history, Venetian typography, and sixteenth‑century humanistic culture. 500-700 euros.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Printer’s mark of Vincenzo Valgrisi on the title page and again at the end. Full parchment parchment semifflexible original; cords originally present, now absent. Copy preserved in its XVI‑century binding. Leaves 216; 8nn. Pages 448.
In old books with a centuries‑old history, some 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
Valerio Massimo composed the Factorum ac dictorum memorabilium libri novem in the 1st century A.D., during the principate of Tiberius. The work transforms the history of Rome and the ancient world into a vast repertoire 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 humanistic culture, which regarded ancient authors as essential tools for moral education and rhetorical training.

LITERARY SIGNIFICANCE
The Dictorum factorumque memorabilium libri novem were among the most important repertoires of exempla in Western culture. The thematic organization allowed orators, preachers, teachers and scholars to quickly find episodes of 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 imagination 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’ name. The expression “Officina Erasmiana” is a prestigious cultural and editorial hallmark, evoking international humanism and the intellectual world associated with the great Rotterdam humanist. Therefore, the complete frontispiece formulation represents an element to be highlighted in antiquarian cataloging. The preservation of the edition in the contemporary parchment and the presence of Valgrisi’s mark on both the frontispiece and at the end further strengthen the specimen’s interest.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
ICCU – Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico, SBN, catalog of Italian ancient editions and copies held 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 European editions of the XVI century.
CERL – Consortium of European Research Libraries, Heritage of the Printed Book Database, for European copies and localizations.
CERL Thesaurus – Vincenzo Valgrisi / Vincentius Valgrisius, for the author’s activity and onomastic variants of the printer-publisher.
EDIT16 – Marche tipografiche, repertory of imprint marks used by Vincenzo Valgrisi.
WorldCat – OCLC, for the international localization of Valerius Maximus’s sixteenth‑century editions.
British Library, General Catalogue, collections of sixteenth‑century European prints.
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.