Author: Guillaume Budé
Year Printed: 1556
This is the oldest book currently in my collection. It's also one of the few I cannot read - it's written in a combination of Latin and Greek. This book was printed in 1556 and is in beautiful condition! The paper is in better shape than most of my more recent vintage finds. This is likely due to the material the paper is made of -- more of a rag and less of a bleached wood pulp.
The outside of the book is a little worse for ware, especially on the spine. The text block, meanwhile, is sound. The gentleman at the Mark Twain Library, where I bought the book, believed it had been rebound sometime in the 1600s, meaning the current leather cover is not genuine.
He also told me that his research into the book led him to discover that the printer had died of the Plague a few years after the book was printed. So... that's a thing.
There's an interesting book plate attached to the front inside cover from one of the previous owners.
There are also short notes in the margins of some of the pages. I love it when I discover little remnants of previous owners like this!
This was a lucky find that I'm so grateful to have in my collection! 💖
