575 - Ovidius Naso, Publius. P. Ovidii Nasonis *Metamorphoses*, that is, on the wondrous transformations of the forms of humans, animals, and other creatures. etc. A delightful read for everyone, but especially useful for all painters, sculptors, and other artists of this kind, due to its rich imagination and poetic artistry. Translated into German in white verse by the learned M. Albrecht von Halberstadt, now revised for the first time and adorned with illustrations of the fables by Georg Wickram of Colmar. etc. Epimythium. This is the interpretation of the amusing fables from the aforementioned book, entertaining for everyone, but especially suitable for all lovers of noble poetry to read with pleasure—Gerhard Lorich of Hadamar. With a woodcut printer’s mark by Conrad Faber of Creuznach, 47 woodcut illustrations by Jörg Wickram, and several woodcut marginal borders. Mainz, Ivo Schöffer, 1545. 10 unnumbered leaves, 152 (erroneously 155) leaves. 32 x 20 cm. Contemporary blind-embossed pigskin binding (dated 1560) over wooden boards with roller stamps and 2 brass clasps (partially scraped, upper capital with a small defect).

Ovidius Naso, Publius. P. Ovidii Nasonis *Metamorphoses*, that is, on the wondrous transformations of the forms of humans, animals, and other creatures. etc. A delightful read for everyone, but especially useful for all painters, sculptors, and other artists of this kind, due to its rich imagination and poetic artistry. Translated into German in white verse by the learned M. Albrecht von Halberstadt, now revised for the first time and adorned with illustrations of the fables by Georg Wickram of Colmar. etc. Epimythium. This is the interpretation of the amusing fables from the aforementioned book, entertaining for everyone, but especially suitable for all lovers of noble poetry to read with pleasure—Gerhard Lorich of Hadamar. With a woodcut printer’s mark by Conrad Faber of Creuznach, 47 woodcut illustrations by Jörg Wickram, and several woodcut marginal borders. Mainz, Ivo Schöffer, 1545. 10 unnumbered leaves, 152 (erroneously 155) leaves. 32 x 20 cm. Contemporary blind-embossed pigskin binding (dated 1560) over wooden boards with roller stamps and 2 brass clasps (partially scraped, upper capital with a small defect). VD16 O 1663 - Worstbrock 282 - Roth, Schöffer 212, 88. - First and very rare edition of Ovid’s work, based on Albrecht von Halberstadt’s Middle High German translation completed between 1210 and 1217, “the first translation from classical antiquity made without a French intermediary … Unfortunately, only 432 verses of the original text have survived; the rest is preserved only in Jorg Wickram’s revised version, published in 1545.” (NDB I, 178). Wickram left Albrecht’s prologue untouched when he sent his adaptation to press in 1545. Wickram also provided the templates for the folksy and at times crude woodcuts. - The roll stamps on the binding depict the four Evangelists (cf. Haebler II, 33, 18). - The pagination jumps from 133 to 137. - Page margins are in places stained by fingerprints and show slight water stains; at the end, 5 leaves have been restored at the corners; there is a note on the endpaper; the figures in the text woodcuts are partly labeled with contemporary handwritten inscriptions. One supplementary volume has been replaced with paper of a matching color. *