76 - TACITUS. Opera quae extant. Antwerp, Christophe Plantin, 1588. In-8, red morocco, triple gilt rule, coat of arms in the center, decorated spine, gilt edges (17th-century binding).

TACITUS. Opera quae extant. Antwerp, Christophe Plantin, 1588. In-8, red morocco, triple gilt rule, coat of arms in the center, decorated spine, gilt edges (17th-century binding). A Plantinian edition of Tacitus’s works, published by the humanist Justus Lipsius. A morocco-bound copy bearing the coat of arms of the Desmarets family, possibly Jean Desmarets (1608–1682), Treasurer of France and Councilor of State, who was married to the sister of the great Colbert. Numerous handwritten annotations, in pen but mostly in pencil. A partially crossed-out bookplate on a flyleaf. From the Charles van der Elst library (not listed in the 1985 or 1988 catalogs). A small tear in the paper at the lower corner of folio Q3, with no apparent loss of text. Slight water stain on a few folios. Scuffing on the binding; spine slightly faded; upper hinge cracked over the height of two panels.