De Officiis – Cicero – 1477 | Complete Incunable, First Parma Edition

Marci Tullii Ciceronis Arpinatis consulisq[ue] Romani: ac oratorum maximi is an exceedingly rare 1477 incunable printing of Marcus Tulius Cicero’s famous treatise De Officiis. Produced in Parma by Stephanus Corallus (the first printer established Parma) on 11 January 1477, this edition was the first edition of Cicero published in Parma and remains one of the most important incunable editions of Cicero’s writings. The colophon explicitly dates the printing to Parma under the reign of Gian Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan.

Widely regarded during the fifteenth century as the pinnacle of moral philosophy, De Officiis addresses the proper way to live, act, and work while also illuminating the politics and values of the late Roman Republic after the fall of Julius Caesar.

This exceedingly rare edition of Cicero includes not only Officiis but several other famous works of Cicero including:

• Cato Maior de Senectute – on old age, aging, and death
• Paradoxa Stoicorum – on communication, wisdom, virtues, and need for happiness
• Laelius de Amicitia – on friendship and relationships
• Somnium Scipionis – on dreaming and visions
  • This work in particular had a tremendous impact on the future of dream theory, cosmology

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Marci Tullii Ciceronis Arpinatis consulisq[ue] Romani: ac oratorum maximi: ad M. Tullium Ciceronem filium suum Officiorum liber primus
• Author(s): Marcus Tullius Cicero
• Illustrator(s):
• Contributor(s):
• Publisher: Parma : Stephanus Corallus
• Edition: First Parma edition, 1477
• Format: (4to), single volume
• Binding: Full vellum
• Size:  10 in x 7 in (25.4 cm x 17.8 cm)
• Collation: unpaged; final leaf of text, signature m7
  • Complete with all pages including blanks
• Illustrations: hand drawn initials in places
• Contents Include:
  • De Officiis
  • Cato Maior de Senectute
  • Paradoxa Stoicorum
  • Laelius de Amicitia
  • Somnium Scipionis
• Provenance: Period annotations in margins
• Reference(s): ISTC ic00587000; Proctor 6843; GW 6930; Goff C 587.

Condition:

Bound in full vellum, this quarto volume remains tight and secure. The text block is entirely complete with pages showing only minimal foxing or staining. Occasional period annotations appear in the margins, adding to its scholarly character. Overall, the book is preserved in near fine condition, rare for an incunable of this significance.

Why Collect This?

• First Parma edition of Cicero’s De Officiis
• One of the earliest published books printed in Parma
• printed by the first printer in Parma Stephanus Corallus

Item Number: #29304