In Folio: Rare Volumes in the Stanford University Libraries

SALLUST, 86-34 B.C.
La conjuración de Catilina y la guerra de Jugurta.
Madrid: Joachin Ibarra, 1772.

Joaquín Ibarra (1725-1785) was the premier printer of eighteenth-century Spain. Establishing himself as a printer at Madrid about 1749, he had issued more than 2,500 titles from his press by the time of his death; his widow continued the work of the firm. King Carlos III of Spain, who reigned from 1759-1788, worked diligently to improve all industries in Spain, but he was especially interested in the book arts. A decree was issued in 1763 exempting printers, typefounders, and punch-cutters from military service, and the price of type metal was reduced in a (successful) effort to stimulate typefounding. Ibarra was eventually appointed Royal Printer, and under his astute and devoted direction, the Imprenta Real issued Classics, literature, and liturgical works in addition to government documents. Ibarra’s masterful work benefited from the great improvements in the second half of the eighteenth century in Spanish typefounding, engraving, and calligraphy. The innovations in these crafts freed Spanish printing from dependence on other countries for type. This edition of Sallust, done in Latin and Spanish, features a large italic type cut by Antonio Espinosa de los Monteros (b. 1732); the translation was done by King Carlos’ son, Don Gabriel (1752-1788). Ibarra’s Sallust was instantly recognized as a magnificent book: Giambattista Bodoni (1740-1813), probably the most celebrated printer of his day, referred to it as "the stupendous Sallust."

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