ΔΙΟΔΩΡΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΣΙΚΕΛΙΩΤΟΥ: ΒΙΒΛΙΟΘΗΚΗΣ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΚΗΣ ΒΙΒΛΟΙ ΠΕΝΤΕ ΚΑΙ ΔΕΚΑ, DIODORI SICULI BILIOTHECAE HISTORICAE. [GENEVA] 1559 Editio PRINCEPS of Books 1-5 of Diodorus History,while Books 11-15 had been printed in 1539 and 1549, this edition was the first time the Greek text of Books 1 through 5 was ever printed. ROYAL FOLIO.Almost comtemporary full leather,spine richly gilt, covers lightly trimmed,complete,text only in Greek, text clean and bright,overall a very good copy The 1559 edition of Diodorus Siculus is one of the most celebrated achievements of 16th-century Greek scholarship. It was edited and printed by Henri Estienne in Geneva, following the death of his father, Robert Estienne, that same year. While the 1549 edition (by Robert) was a step forward, the 1559 edition is the one that solidified Diodorus’s place in the classical canon. It is vital as it contains Diodorus’s "mythic" history, including accounts of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and early Greece. Fugger, a wealthy Augsburg banker, was Henri's patron and provided him with access to rare manuscripts that allowed for this expanded text with 15 books in total (Books 1-5 and 11-15). Books 6-10 and 21-40 remain mostly lost, existing only in fragments which Henri began to collect and include here also in edition princeps Henri Estienne did not just print the text; he corrected it. He utilized several manuscripts, including one from the library of Cardinal Bessarion, to fix errors that had persisted in earlier Latin translations. It uses the same elegant Grecs du Roi typefaces that his father had popularized in Paris, making it a masterpiece of Renaissance book design.