AELIANUS, CLAUDIUS. Opera quae extant. Greek text with Latin translation by Conrad Gesner, Justus Vulteius, and Francesco Robortello in parallel columns. [48], 655, [56] pages, including double-page woodcut diagram of troop formation on pages [604-05]. Folio, 313x200 mm, contemporary blind-tooled pigskin over wooden boards with brass catches and clasps, concentric ornamental and historiated rolls on covers with Holy Monogram panel stamp on front, spine darkened; varying browning, washed or inked-out inscriptions and stamp on title, Gesner name excised or inked out on a few leaves, including colophon. Zurich: apud Gesneros fratres, 1556
first collected edition of the works of a Roman author (circa 175-235) who wrote in Greek, comprising his De natura animalium, a moralistic zoological text, and Varia historia, a collection of miscellaneous anecdotes. This edition also contains writings by the Greek military author Aelianus Tacticus, with whom he was sometimes confused. Hoffmann I, 10; Sarton I, 326.
