Hermannus Torrentinus (1450-1520)

ELVCIDARIVS POETICVS

Basel, 1601
Format 16°, 10.8 x 7.8 cm. 200 numbered pages, in Latin. Title page printed in black, with the hand-coloured printer`s device of Nicolaus Brylinger, or rather his heirs. Sturdy vellum binding with blind-tooled decoration, spine with 3 raised bands and a paper label with the manuscript number "121.". Published by Andreas Keller in Basel in 1601. Manuscript annotations on the pastedowns, front endpaper, title page and throughout the text; an undetermined number of leaves torn out at the end of the book (the text ends on p. 200 with the word "FINIS"); the binding is worn commensurate with its age, the book block slightly loosened but in good condition. A Renaissance Latin dictionary and mythological handbook. It contains explanations of mythological stories, legends, the names of gods, and the names of islands, regions, cities, rivers, mountains and peoples from ancient literature. It served students and scholars as an aid for reading the ancient poets and historians. It was originally compiled by the Dutch humanist scholar Hermannus Torrentinus at the end of the 15th century (1st edition c. 1498), and was later revised and expanded by other humanists, such as Robert Estienne.