Homer's Iliad was one of the most popular classical works printed during the Renaissance. Along with the Odyssey, it is one of the earliest surviving pieces of Western literature. It tells the story of the legendary Greek siege of the city of Troy and an argument between the leader of the siege, King Agamemnon, and the Greek hero Achilles. This edition is one of the ground-breaking octavo editions of the Odyssey, using the last, smallest and clearest of Aldus Manutius’s four Greek fonts. Aldus’s aim was to save the Greek classics from loss by printing editions available to all, and from the 1490s began producing printed copies of such works as Aristotle, Aristophanes, Sophocles and Herodotus. His fonts were based on calligraphic examples provided by Greek natives from Crete, who also acted as compositors and proof readers. By the time of his death in 1515 he had firmly established the printing of Greek editions in Venice.


Binding information

Two volumes bound by Pietro Francese, both bound in red calf with gold tooling of knotwork design and foliate crest with title to centre OMHPOY IAIAΣ (first vol) OMHPOY OΛYΣ (second vol), inside unusual roll tool border frame of oblongs and crosses. Each volume differentiated in interior corners of frame by differing tools of leaf design. Both volumes rebacked with new spine, original front and back covers pasted on new boards. All edges gilt and gauffered.