1597 Rare Greek Latin Vellum Book - The Tragedies of Euripides

Author: Euripides. Edited and translated by Aemilius Portus, with commentary by Gulielmus Canterus.
Title: Evripidis Tragoediae XIX.
Publisher: Heidelberg, typis Hieronymi Commelini, 1597.
Language: Text in Ancient Greek and Latin.
Size: 7.1 x 4.6 inches.
Pages: 800 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good contemporary limp vellum, hand-titled “Tragoediae” on spine, yapp edges, with remnants of ties. Some soiling and wear to covers, especially the head and tail of spine, but still tight and appealing in hand (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown, early ownership inscription on title page dated 1729 (“Ioannis Duëni?”) and a fascinating dense full-page handwritten Latin note in ink opposite the title page, likely 17th- or early 18th-century, referencing Aulus Gellius and Cicero - as shown, lower corner of front endpaper blank page worn - as shown). 
This first volume of a two-volume set includes the complete text (in Greek and facing Latin translation) of the first thirteen tragedies of Euripides, ending with Iphigenia in Tauris. These are: Hecuba, Orestes, Phoenissae, Medea, Hippolytus, Alcestis, Andromache, Supplices, Iphigenia in Aulide, Iphigenia in Tauris, Rhesus, Troades, and Bacchae. A substantial prefatory section includes a dedication, Latin epistle, prolegomena, and a scholarly index.
Illustrations: Woodcut printer’s device of Commelinus on title page; decorative initials and headpieces throughout.

Estimate: (USD 450 – 600).

The book: A beautifully printed Renaissance edition of the tragedies of Euripides, in the original Greek with facing Latin translation by the noted scholar Aemilius Portus. This is the first volume of a two-part set, complete in itself, and presents many of the most important plays of the Euripidean corpus, including Medea, Hippolytus, and The Bacchae. Published by Hieronymus Commelinus in Heidelberg, this edition reflects the height of 16th-century humanist scholarship and philology, enriched by the scholarly notes of Gulielmus Canterus.

The author: Euripides (c. 480–406 BCE) was the youngest of the three great tragedians of classical Athens. Known for his complex characters and innovative structure, he gave voice to outcasts, women, and skeptics in plays that continue to resonate with readers today.

The editor and translator: Aemilius Portus (1550–1615) was a Hellenist and translator who carried on the scholarly legacy of his father, Franciscus Portus. His Latin versions of Greek texts were admired for their fidelity and scholarly elegance.

The commentator: Gulielmus Canterus (1542–1575), a leading Dutch humanist, was renowned for his critical editions of ancient Greek texts. His detailed notes on Euripides were highly influential in Renaissance classical studies.