Editio princeps, thick folio, woodcut device to title, text in Greek, printed in Garamond's newly designed typeface, last leaf (blank but for Estienne's device) present in this copy, bound in 17th century calf boards, tooled in blind panels, neatly rebacked, ex libris Philip Lyttleton Gell, with bookplate, a complete and exceptionally fresh copy, including the blank leaf P5, 13 x 8 1/2 in.
This production of the Estienne press signals not only the first edition of Eusebius's complete works, it is also the debut of the storied "grecs du roi" typeface, designed by Claude Garamond. The Royal Library at Fontainebleau contained a trove of unpublished Greek manuscripts at the time, and François I felt that they deserved a typeface worthy of their importance. Also for the first time, Estienne used a stunning new set of matching woodcut head-pieces and display initials.
