Nepos. *Vitae excellentium imperatorum*, illustrated with the observations and notes of commentators, as far as they have been recorded to date. Amsterdam 1687. From the Blavian Press, 8º, frontispiece (copperplate engraving), pp. [30], 439, [41], illustrations in the text (copperplate engravings), later binding, parchment, embossed and gilded on the covers
The only surviving volume from the work *De viriis illustribus* (“On Illustrious Men”) by Nepos (Cornelius Nepos, c. 110 BCE–c. 25 BCE), a Roman historian and biographer, and a friend of Cicero. It contains biographies of famous ancient generals, including Alcibiades, Hamilcar, Hannibal, Cato the Elder, Miltiades, and Themistocles. The work was extremely popular in the modern era, serving as a standard textbook for the study of Latin, rhetoric, and ancient history well into the 20th century. In this Amsterdam edition published by the Blaeu family—famous cartographers— the text is accompanied by extensive philological and historical commentary. At the end of each biography, there is also an engraving featuring a medallion portrait of the commander in question. Some spots and discoloration here and there; otherwise, in good condition.
