1594 – Works of Apuleius | Plantin Press First Edition with Metamorphoses

Apuleius’s Metamorphoses, also known as The Golden Ass, is the only ancient Roman novel to exist complete as it was originally written. This work is a collection short tales following Lucius and his curios desire for magic. Apuleius describes interesting and bizarre encounters including sword swallowers, evil witches and bodily dismemberment, notes of mythological gods, daring escapes, and adventure.

This 1594 collection of the works of Apuleius was published by Plantin Press and includes his other works including:

• Florida – extracts from Apuleius’s speeches and lectures
• On Plato
• De Mundo, or On the Universe
• On Magic, or Apologia – Apuleius defends himself before Claudius Maximus against an accusation of practicing magic
• Περὶ ἑρμηνείας by Aristotle

Bibliographic Details

• Title: L. Apulei[i] Madaurensis Opera omnia quae exstant. : E quibus, post vltimam P. Colvii editionem
• Author(s): Apuleius
• Publisher: Lugduni Batavorum, Ex officina Plantiniana, apud Franciscum Raphelengium
• Edition: First Edition, 1594
• Format: (16mo), single volume
• Binding: Full leather
• Size:  5.25 in x 3 in (13.3 cm x 7.6 cm)
• Collation: [16], 80, 383, [1]
• References: USTC 423324
• Contents Include:
  • Metamorphoses (The Golden Ass)
  • Florida
  • Apologia (On Magic)
  • On Plato and his Doctrine
  • De Mundo (On the Universe)
  • Περὶ ἑρμηνείας

Condition:

Very Good. Tight and secure full leather binding with moderate rubbing at the corners. Covers feature an impressed decorative stamp. Pages are clean, text block complete, with no evident markings or repairs.

Why Collect This?

• First edition of Apuleius’s complete works, printed by Plantin Press
• Includes rare philosophical texts associated with Platonic and Aristotelian traditions

Item Number: # 29550