1575 – Ambrogio Calepino Dictionary | Famous Enormous Latin Lexicon

Ambrogio Calepino was a 15th-century Italian lexicographer who is remembered only by his Latin dictionary. This undated Latin edition was published in 1575 in Basel and edited by Conrad Gessner. It should be noted that this particular edition is incredibly rare and desirable.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Ambrosii Calepini Dictionarium linguarum septem: iam demum accurata emendatione, atque infinitorum locorum augmentatione: collectis ex bonorum authorum monumentis
• Author(s): Ambrogio Calepino
• Contributor(s): Conrad Gessner (Editor)
• Publisher: Basileæ, Ex officina Henric-Petrina
• Edition: undated, ca. 1575.
• Binding: Full leather
• Format: Folio
• Size:  14 in x 9 in x 5 in (~35.5 cm x 23 cm x 12.7 cm)
• Collation: [44], 1674, [2], 355, [1] pp
• Contents Include:
  • Preface and editorial remarks by Conrad Gessner
  • Expanded multilingual dictionary entries
  • Original Latin lexicon with vernacular equivalents in six additional languages

Condition:

Good. The folio binding remains secure with an intact text block. Leather boards show extensive wear, particularly at the corners with heavy loss to covering and exposed boards. The back cover exhibits visible pulling at the hinge. Staining is present on the title page. Despite external wear, the volume remains complete and internally legible.

Why Collect This?

• Scarce 16th-century edition of Calepino’s seminal dictionary
• Edited by Conrad Gessner, one of the foremost humanist scholars of the era

• A cornerstone work in the evolution of multilingual lexicography

Item Number: # 29987