UPDATED! The Gennadius Library's Clean Monday celebration in New York City will have a change of venue this year to Kellari Taverna and will be held on February 27, 2012. Festivities begin at 6:30 pm. and feature great food for the Lenten season, an auction, music and dancing! Read details here.
Greek Classics
Editions of the Classical Greek authors were by far the largest single section (some 5,500 volumes) in Gennadius’ collection. A few of the earliest Greek books will suffice to demonstrate his passion for excellence. His copy of the Anthologia Graeca (Florence 1494), printed entirely in capital letters was handsomely illuminated. The Lucian, a massive folio volume (Florence 1496) is one of two copies printed on vellum, the other being in the Laurentian Library at Florence. The famous Venetian press of Aldus Manutius became famous with his edition of the complete works of Aristotle, 1494-98; four of the five folio volumes in the Gennadeion set are still in their fine original bindings. The first purely Greek press, established in Venice by Nikolaos Vlastos, Zacharias Kalliergis, and Anna Notara, produced in 1499-1500 four of the most beautiful Greek books ever printed. The Library has three of these and some day we hope to acquire the fourth. The one Greek book coveted by all collectors, however, was the Homer printed at Florence in 1488. Gennadius, for all his zeal, was unsuccessful in obtaining one until 1914 (when he was 70); he paid for it four times as much as he had ever paid for any book. His copy, the “Pembroke” copy, is splendidly illuminated and is indeed a treasure.