ALBERTUS MAGNUS (c.1200–1280). De animalibus. Mantua: Paulus de Butzbach [for himself and for Marcus Mazola and Antonius de Vignono], 12 January 1479.

Second, rare edition of a milestone in natural science. Mentor of Thomas Aquinas, Albertus Magnus is considered one of the greatest philosophical minds of the Middle Ages. ‘The year 1249 marked a turning point in the intellectual career of Albert the Great. This was the year he finally acceded to the pleas of his Dominican confreres to compose a work explaining the natural science of Aristotle. The immediate product of this decision was Albert’s paraphrastic commentary on the Physics, but there were long-term results as well. This work was but the first part of what was to become one of the major literary productions of the Middle Ages; a production which would establish Albert as, according to his envious contemporary Roger Bacon, an auctoritas on equal footing with Avicenna, Averroes, and Aristotle himself. […] Albert’s massive De animalibus libri XXVI is not only the longest of his Aristotelian commentaries but also represents one of the most extensive records of empirical observation published before modern times.’ (Kitchell & Resnick). The variant noted in GW (a2, col. 2, line 8) is here corrected in contemporary manuscript, as is the word ‘vegetabilibus’ in line 8 (as in the Munich copy). HC *546; BMC VII 931; Bod-inc A-099; BSB-Ink A-143; CIBN A-116; GW 588; Goff A224; Klebs 14.2; ISTC ia00224000.

Royal folio (409 × 264mm). 305 leaves (of 306, without blank a1). Red and blue painted initials in various sizes, the first with contrasting penwork decoration, rubricated (light dampstain at extreme upper margin, scattered old stains, a few wormholes, c. 9 leaves with repair at outer margin, occasionally touching a few letters, final leaf a little browned with small repairs in blank areas and gutter reinforced). 18th-century half green roan-backed marbled boards, flat spine gilt with 2 red labels, red edges (rubbed, minor wear). Provenance: Franco Novacco, Venice (1904–1998; bookplate).