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ORATIO DOMINICA IN CLV LINGUAS VERSA ET EXOTICIS CHARACTERIBUS PLERUMQUE EXPRESSA.
(Parma: Giambattista Bodoni, 1806). 418 x 275 mm. (16 1/2 x 11"). 3 p.l., XIX, [5], 1-20, [4], 1-20, [2], CCXLVIII, [2] pp. FIRST EDITION.
EXCELLENT CONTEMPORARY PANELLED CALF, grand covers with central panel of flamed calf enclosed by a gilt ribbon roll, this surrounded by a speckled calf border with gilt fleuron cornerpieces, all within an onlaid green calf frame outlined with decorative gilt rolls and stamped with four helix tools, raised bands, spine panels with helix tools, black morocco label, turn-ins gilt, all edges gilt. A Large Paper Copy. Text set within fillet frame. Verso of front flyleaf with bookplate of David R. Godine. Brooks 1003; Giambattista Bodoni (1740-1813), "Oratio Dominica," Grolier Club Exhibitions, accessed June 30, 2026, https://grolierclub.omeka.net/items/show/1390 (this copy). See Lester, Giambattista Bodoni, His Life and His World (2015). Spine just slightly dried, bottom edges somewhat rubbed (light rubbing to other extremities), otherwise a beautiful copy--VIRTUALLY SPOTLESS INTERNALLY, with rich impressions of the type on exceptionally bright paper, printed within expansive margins, and in a well-preserved imposing binding.
This is a tour-de-force of typographical design and printing by one of the greatest practitioners of the crafts, offered in an especially appealing contemporary binding. Described by Brooks as "a precious book that marks an epoch in typography," the "Oratio Dominica" presents the Lord's Prayer in various typeface sizes and styles (23 italicized) in 155 different languages, employing 97 alphabets. All of the typefaces were designed and cut by Bodoni himself. Printer, punch-cutter, and type designer Giambattista Bodoni (1740-1813) worked for more than 20 years at the Royal press in Parma before obtaining permission to set up his own private press in 1791. Brooks says that "he took his printing in all its branches very seriously, labored incessantly to perfect his type, had a fine artistic sense, . . . and produced books not only of a very high standard, but also showing a remarkably distinct individuality." Bodoni used the finest quality paper available, and his clear, beautiful types have been envied and copied for many generations. "The result of his labors is a long list of books which," in Brooks' words, "reach a very high, many of them the highest, level of technical excellence." In 1758, Bodoni had worked for the Vatican's Propaganda Fide, a press charged with spreading the Gospel in as many languages as possible. This experience inspired him to take courses in Oriental languages at the Universita La Sapienza while in Rome, providing him with a solid foundation to explore polyglot printing. In 1805, Bodoni received a visit from Pope Pius VII, who had just come from Napoleon's coronation in Paris, where he had been presented with the Imprimerie Royale's printing of the Lord's Prayer in 150 languages. The pope challenged the Italian printer to best the efforts of the French, and Bodoni took on the challenge, which resulted in the present magnificent production. His "Oratorio Domina" increased the number of languages represented to 155, and included 13 exotic alphabets not included in the French edition. To appreciate fully the effort that went into this achievement, one must realize that the standard 26-letter Latin alphabet is much simpler in terms of characters than, for example, Arabic, with 756 characters, or Ethiopian with 550, or Malabar (now known as Malayalam) with 1,132. Even languages with more manageable-sized alphabets require fonts that accommodate numerous diacritical marks and other variations. Bodoni cut all the punches in metal except for the Chinese characters, which were engraved in wood. In a rather cheeky touch, Bodoni dedicated the volume to Napoleon's stepson, Eugène de Beauharnais, then the Viceroy of Italy, who wrote to the French emperor on 12 Jul 1806: "Bodoni is in Milan right now; he came here to present me with the polyglot Oratio Dominica. This is a superb edition, and I must tell Your Majesty that it is much superior to the polyglot edition of the same work put out by Signor Marcel in Paris." Bodoni's longtime friend, French philologist and bibliophile Simon Chardon de La Rochette (1753-1814), wrote to him on seeing this book: "I still remember that exclamation of yours: 'I perceive a void in typography, and I feel capable of filling it.' You certainly did fill that void." Bodoni has been a hero to many generations of printers, among them two previous owners of this volume. According to a Grolier Club Exhibition description of our volume, it once belonged to Bruce Rogers (1870-1957), one of the greatest American typographers, book designers, and printers of the 20th century. Blumenthal says that "his greatness lay in the felicity of his brilliant manipulation of type and ornament, in his command of all the basic processes and their consummation in beautiful books--noble books that can be read with pleasure and owned with pride--not objets d'art to be stored behind glass." It was later in the collection of American printer and bibliophile David R. Godine (b. 1945), who founded the Godine Press in 1970, after training with printmaker Leonard Baskin and master printer Harold McGrath. (ST21077)
Price: $9,500.00