Thoukydides
Venetiis: In domo Aldi. Mense Maio, 1502.

Restored through the generous contribution of Maxine Lewis, '58.

Aldus Manutius (1450-1515) pioneered the printing of inexpensive, scholarly editions of classical texts, and developed a Greek typescript that became the standard for printing ancient Greek texts. This Aldine edition was the first printing of Thucydides in Greek, and it appeared as a large, quarto-sized volume with hand-colored historiated initials, unlike the normal small, plain classical texts for which Aldus was famous.

The volume has an eighteenth-century leather binding with a gold-tooled spine. The front cover of the book was entirely detached, and the spine was broken and peeling. Some of the leaves were browned and stained. The Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts gently cleaned the edges and cover of the book; cleaned some of the leaves to reduce the staining; lifted up the old spine and washed off the left over glue and old lining material; reattached the boards, and created an new back, onto which the old spine was glued.