Lucini, Paul ; Opticae iuxta Newtonianas leges a Paullo Lucinio Mediolanensi Latinis versibus expositae. Libri quattuo. Parmae : in aedibus Palatinis, typis Bodonianis, 1793. Quarto, pp. viii, 119, [1]. Very rare Bodoni imprint.
This is a special printing by the famed Italian engraver, publisher, printer and typographer, Giambattista Bodoni (1740-1813). He designed the typeface which is now called Bodoni. The work is in the original quarter calf over marbled boards with a gilt spine label. Light scuffing to the binding, the text has the very wide page margins common with Bodini's work. The paper is clean. In very good condition.
Lucini provides four works in Latin on Sir Isaac's Newton's optics. Of special importance to the work is the printing method. The printer was Giambattista Bodoni (1740-1813). Bodini was a famous Italian engraver, publisher, printer and typographer known for designing a typeface which is now called Bodoni. He achieved an unprecedented level of technical refinement in printing, which allowed him to faithfully reproduce letter forms with very thin "hairlines", standing in sharp contrast to the thicker lines constituting the main stems of the characters. His printing reflected an aesthetic of plain, unadorned style. This style attracted many admirers and imitators, surpassing the popularity of French typographers such as Philippe Grandjean and Pierre Simon Fournier. Bodoni was appointed printer to the court of Parma in 1768. It was here that he refined many of his printing methods and designed the type which now is named for him. Many of his books contain several translations of the same work, all bound in one book. Important works printed by Bodoni are The Works of Horace (1791), Virgil (1793), Homer (1808) Epithalamia exoticis Linguis income (1775), and Poliziano (1795), the Jerusalem Liberata el 'Oratio Dominica (1806) and numerous others. European aristocrats, collectors and scholars sought his books because the inks and paper were always of the highest quality, and printed with the highest attention to detail. Bodini even corresponded with Benjamin Franklin who sought information on typography and printing. The Bodoni Museum, which honors him, was opened in Parma in 1963.