De evangelica praeparatione. [Translated by Georgius Trapezuntius.
Venice: Bartholomaeus de Zanis, 10 November, 1500. The sixth and final fifteenth-century edition of Eusebius's Preparation of the Gospel, first published by Jenson in 1470. Complete with the final blank. Woodcut initials throughout. Covers lightly soiled, bookplate removed from front pastedown, first leaf with contemporary ownership inscription. With early fabric tabs or remains of fabric tabs at twelve places in the text. A very good, clean copy, preserved in modern brown cloth clamshell slipcase. Nineteenth century half vellum over boards, covered with printed leaves from an incunabulum. Folio. 65, [1] ff. Item #16479
The Preparation for the Gospel is a significant work by Eusebius Caesariensis (AD 260/265 – 339/340), who is best known for writing the first surviving history of the Christian Church as a chronologically-ordered account, complete from the time of the Apostles to his own time. The Preparation is an introduction to Christianity for pagans, in which the author attempts to prove the excellence of Christianity over pagan religion and philosophy. Its fifteen books have been completely preserved. For later readers, it is of particular value because it contains added information from historians and philosophers which is not available elsewhere, including excerpts from the writings of Porphyry, the Phoenician priest Sanchunianthon, the Platonist philosopher Atticus and the Middle Platonist philosopher Numenius of Apamea.
Goff E123. BMC V, 345, Hain 6707. GW 9445. ISTC ie00123000 notes ten copies in North America.
Price: $7,500.00