Historiæ Augustæ scriptores sex Aelius Spartianus, Iulius Capitolinus, Aelius Lampridius, Vulcatius Gallicanus, Trebellius Pollio, & Flavius Vopiscus. Isaacus Casaubonus ex vett. libris recensuit

2 parts in 1 4to. ff. [2] (blank), pp. [20], 375, [57]; pp. 576, [34], ff. [4] (blank) (pp. 33-40 inserted between pp. 24-25). Light brown calf, raised bands with gold ruling on spine. Blind tooled decorated turn-ins. Illustrated, contains genealogical table. Half morocco over marbled boards. Old owner's signature on title page. Stamp "AJF" of A. and J. Freeman on p. [2] of cover, seller's stamp "Joseph Boudot Lamotte, Paris." Numerous marginalia in Casaubon's Notae. The emendations and notes by Isaac Casaubon have a separate title page, pagination and register. In Latin with some Greek, and privilege in French at end. Engraved initials, head and tail pieces. Engraving on p. 62 (sig. Hiiii) representing two faces of a medal with a sheep and a portrait of Antinous.

The definitive exposure of the Historia Augusta (see Bib# 4398422/Fr# 28.1 in this collection), by way of edition, by Casaubon (see A. Grafton, Forgers and critics: creativity and duplicity in Western scholarship. London, 1990, pp. 18–19, 80), and the traditional ‘naming’ of these suspect texts.

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