Apuleus, L’Asino d’Oro (The Golden Ass).
1665, Venice: Giovanni Battista Brigna.
Italian
Description: 256 pages (pages in the table of contents and preface are unpaginated). 16º. 155 x 105 mm. Thick brownish paper with some unindetified watermarks.
Text area: 130 x 80 mm. 1 column. Printed in black ink. Paginated. Catchwords on every page, bottom right. Signatures:A-Q.
Ornamentation: Fifty-three 65 x 45 black-and-white illustrations. 2-3 lines printed initials. Some decorative emblems printed in black.
Binding: 160 x 110 mm. Original yelow limp bindig, spine lost, worn out.
Provenance, inscriptions, and librarian marks: On the front pastedown, the name Giuseppe Gemmi Montecchi appears, written in brown ink in a 17th- or 18th-century hand.
Condition: Pages between 236 and 241 are missing. Several pages are torn, with parts of the text missing. A few illustrations have small holes. Some foxing is present.
Contents: Apuleius was a distinguished Roman writer and philosopher of the 2nd century AD, whose work had a profound impact on the development of Latin literature. Born in the North African city of Madaura, he was educated in Carthage and Athens, studying rhetoric, philosophy, and religion. Apuleius masterfully combined philosophical discourse with narrative form, making his works unique in both literary style and intellectual depth. He was adept at portraying human nature and was unafraid to tackle complex themes such as magic, fate, and morality.
His most renowned work, "The Golden Ass" (or Metamorphoses), is the only Latin novel to have survived in its entirety. It tells the story of Lucius, a man whose curiosity about magic leads to his transformation into a donkey and a series of trials and adventures. Beneath its comic surface lies a serious allegory of spiritual enlightenment, human passions, and ultimate redemption. “The Golden Ass” reflects Apuleius’ interest in magic and religion, as well as his deep understanding of Platonic philosophy, which permeates the entire text.
Description by Dr. Ilya Dines