Pliny Secundus, Gaius. Historiae naturalis libri XXXVII. Aptissimis figuris exculti ab Alexandro Benedicto Venerabili physico emendatiores redditi. With 2 woodcut printer's marks, 38 woodcuts and 37 woodcut initials. Venice, A. de Zanis for M. Sessa, 1513. folio (32.7 × 22.9 cm). [14], 219 pp., [42] w. Bll. Blind embossed pigskin binding of the period over wooden boards, with brass mountings to edges and corners and 2 intact (renewed) brass clasps (somewhat stained and rubbed, spine cover with closed tear and traces of signature mark; H cover somewhat worm-eaten and with small burn mark). Edit16 CNCE 29933 - Essling 4 - Sander 5760 - Mortimer 388 note - Schweiger II, 785 - not in Adams. - First illustrated edition of the classical scientific encyclopaedia of antiquity. - Among the elegant woodcuts also maps of Europe and Africa as well as illustrations of mining, crafts, medicine, music etc.. - Flyleaves removed, the third leaf trimmed in the white lower margin (without loss of text), 5 pages with marginalia in an old hand. In the second half, wormholes in the text becoming stronger, the last approx. 10 leaves with small losses of letters. The white leaves bound in at the end heavily worm-eaten. - Provenance: Old hs. Owner's mark on flyleaf and title, cancelled stamp. - Swiss private collection.