Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus, AD 23–79)

Natural History — Composite Teaching Display Incorporating an Original 1531 Printed Leaf From the Biblical Library of Stanley S. Slotkin - [Europe], 1531.

Composite scholarly display consisting of an original early-16th-century printed leaf from Pliny’s Natural History, mounted to a large 20th-century teaching board produced and distributed by Stanley S. Slotkin. The presentation includes a facsimile title page at left, with Slotkin’s printed explanatory text beneath, and the original Pliny leaf affixed at right, featuring Latin text printed in double columns and an ornamental woodcut device.

Original leaf measures approx. 8½ × 13 inches. The Slotkin teaching sheet measures approx. 22½ × 17½ inches overall (folded vertically for storage and distribution). The original leaf is attached at the upper margin by two small staples, as issued by Slotkin.

The printed display card bears the statement “Original Leaf dated 1483 A.D.”; however, the Roman numeral date associated with the edition represented is 1531, placing the leaf in the early sixteenth century rather than the incunable period. This discrepancy reflects a known characteristic of Slotkin’s leaf distributions, in which educational intent occasionally outpaced bibliographical precision.

Condition: Original leaf with light toning; small loss at the upper left corner; faint vertical fold; minor edge wear. Printing remains clear and legible, with the decorative device intact. The teaching board shows a central vertical fold, as issued, with light handling wear. No attempt has been made to separate or alter the original mounting, preserving the historical integrity of the Slotkin assemblage.

Stanley S. Slotkin (1905–1997), a Los Angeles businessman and philanthropist, assembled one of the largest private libraries of early Bibles and related texts in the United States. Beginning in the 1960s, he undertook a deliberate program of distributing individual original leaves, mounted with explanatory facsimiles and commentary, to libraries, museums, churches, and educational institutions. His stated aim was to place early printing into public view rather than confined to restricted stacks. Today, intact Slotkin teaching panels are themselves collected and documented by academic institutions as artifacts of mid-20th-century bibliophilic pedagogy.

This example offers an unusual convergence of early scientific printing, Renaissance book history, and 20th-century collecting practice, making it particularly suitable for institutional or instructional collections concerned with the history of science, classical reception, or the material culture of the book.

Item #21353

Price: $225.00