Plato, Opera. Florence, Lorenzo de Alopa, 1484-5

First edition of the translation by Marsilio Ficino, and the first time Plato’s complete works were available. Ficino completed this translation in 1468, after Cosimo de Medici had him set aside Plato to translate the Corpus Hermeticum for him first. Plato’s Opera were published much later in instalments, and - due to urgent demand - with considerable haste, thus explaining the fragmentary state of many copies, and the enormous number of compositorial errors (the list of errata amounts to 52 columns).

The BPH has two copies: one complete; the other, formerly owned by Franchino Gafuri (1451-1522), author of works on musical theory, with his notes, has a press correction in the headline to the Timaeus.