1556 – Thesaurus of Cicero | Charles Estienne, Latin Lexicon of Cicero’s Works

Cicero’s works were extremely popular in the 16th- and 17th-centuries; unfortunately, much of the rhetoric was difficult for the general public to consume. Scholars such as Charles Estienne sought to make Cicero more accessible by focusing making general rhetoric the central discipline to understanding classical traditions. In 1555, Estienne first published his Cicero Thesaurus – an enormous dictionary of Latin words used in Cicero’s works and context for the vocabulary.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Thesaurus M. Tullii Ciceronis
• Author(s): Charles Estienne
• Publisher: Apud Carolum Stephanum, Parisiis
• Edition: First folio edition, 1556
• Binding: Full leather
• Format: Folio, single volume
• Size:  13 in x 9 in (33 cm x 22.9 cm)
• Collation: [6], 1591, [1] pp
• Illustrations: title page vignette
• Contents Include:
  • Lexicon of Latin usage in Cicero’s works
  • Preface on rhetorical tradition
  • Index of terms with contextual citations
• Provenance: bookplate – North Library
• Reference(s): USTC 152181; Adams S 1746

Condition:

Good. Binding is full leather with visible cords securing the front cover. Six raised ribs adorn the spine. The text block remains tight and secure. Pages show only mild age toning, with no significant losses or damage evident.

Why Collect This?

• Renaissance printing by a prominent Paris humanist and scholar
• Enormous 16th-century lexicon dedicated solely to Cicero’s Latin usage
• Folio format reference work used by scholars of classical rhetoric

Item Number: #29986