Berosi Sacerdotis Chaldaici, Antiquitatum Italiae ac Totius Orbis by John Annius of Viterbo - 1552: Berosus Priest of the Chaldeans, The Antiquities of Italy and the Whole World

John Annius of Viterbo (1432-1502) was a scholar, friar, historian, linguist, author, treasure-hunter, and fraud. This work may be one of the boldest pieces of historical hoodwinking ever created.

An ambitious, quick-witted, and brilliant young man, Annius became a Dominican friar early, ingratiated himself in the courts of Popes Sixtus IV & Alexander VI, and rose to become "Master of the Sacred Palace." His life-long ambition seems to have been to make the world's greatest discovery about the Roman empire. When that failed, it seems that he created it instead. Claiming to have discovered ancient lost scrolls and texts in northern Italy, he then "translated" them into Latin, revealing long-lost writings by known people in the Greek, Roman, and Persian worlds. These included writings supposedly by Xenophon, Cato, Aristotle, Julius Caesar, and many more. His biggest claim is that much of this material comes from a manuscript by Berosus, an astronomer & historian in Hellenistic (3rd C BC) Babylon. (Hence the book title.)

In the end, Annius was writing for patronage, and to give his hometown Viterbo a link to the ancient Etruscans, and traceable bloodlines for the Popes back to Classical nobility. Even further, back to the time after Noah's flood! He was so single-minded, he even organized one of the world's earliest "archaeological" digs in Viterbo, which dug up stunning Classical marble statues and fragments -- which he had secretly "seeded" in the ground beforehand.

His work was a bombshell when released, and changed scientific thinking about Greek, Roman, and Biblical history for generations. It was not until the 1560s that scholars began looking deeper and unraveling his lies.

This edition, from 1552, was printed at the peak of his popularity, and it contains *everything* in one tome. All 17 books, including an extensive index at the back. Backed in fine, sturdy vellum, with an almost ghostly/haunting marbling pattern on its fore-edges, embellished with more than a dozen gorgeous woodcuts for dropcaps, it is a book with presence & gravitas. It also clearly has a remarkable history. Its first owner appears to be a Georg Simpanius (sp), who signed his name subtlely on the title page, and on the bottom of the index page ending with "Isis." The index pages afterward are of the same age & printing, but have their edges slightly cropped compared to the rest of the book. They seem to be the printer rectifying a printing error. At any rate, the entire book was then bound together as one in what appears to be original or at least contemporary vellum. The endpapers are of a stock slightly stiffer than the rest of the book, but all the aging & toning from one page to the next match up perfectly and suggest that this is indeed an original -- or close to it -- binding.

CONDITION

VG+ Antiquarian. If not for a persistent if faint & very ancient tidemark (shows most noticeably early in the book), and one bit of also-ancient (16th C?) pen notation on p. 3, I would not hesitate to list this as about-Fine. It is in extraordinary condition. The vellum is supple and strong, smudged by centuries of fireplace & candle smoke but with almost no visible wear to corners, spine head/tail or even the joints (faintest superficial wear to top of front joint). At one point in its life, the book appears to have been over-extended at pp 256-257, leaving that gathering very slightly sprung but still firmly & tightly bound.

Endpapers present. No missing or torn pages. First page of preface has faint 1/16" chipping to outer edge. Next 3 leaves (as well as back of title page) have curious "strengthening" band of contemporary paper affixed to verso outer edge; these are not repair strips, as the original paper shows on the recto side and is intact. I have never seen anything like that before. Paper & ink quality are gorgeous, typesetting & printing are confident & highly skilled. Near end of book a few pages have very light pencil notations in margins, easily erased if you choose. This is a book you can appreciate on a shelf, or pull down and read through at any time. It is a joy.

VALUATION

Finding a complete "Antiquitates Italiae" (often called "Antiquitatum Variarum") is nearly impossible. Broken sets containing only one of 2 or 3 books sell consistenly for hundreds of dollars. Other supposedly complete ones only offer 12 of Annius's books, or maybe 15. Mine is intact in one edition with all 17 known books, and is in fact the earliest such fully complete edition I can find. Outside the curious strengthening on its earliest pages, it has no conservator restorations or repairs, and has needed none. It is intact. Astonishingly.