[bound with] Boethius. Liber de Divisione and De Differentiis Topicis. [bound with] Liber sex principiorum. 81 leaves. Latin manuscript on vellum, rubricated throughout, together with one- to four-line initials in red and blue; six marginal diagrammatic tables. 175x115 mm. (7x4½), modern wooden boards with old brass clasps.

Rare medieval manuscript of Aristotle’s cornerstone texts of logic, which have formed the basis for much of Western thought for over two millennia, written within the first century of Aristotle’s reintroduction to Europe. This is an early university textbook from the 13th century, very probably used at the University of Paris, one of the first medieval universities and very prominent for its Aristotelean studies. As a core component part of the trivium, Logic was central to the medieval curriculum, especially the liberal arts. All the works in this volume – with the exception of the Liber sex Principiorum (which is an anonymous 12th century work on Aristotle’s Categories) – pertain to what is called the “Logica Vetus,” or Old Logic, that corpus of philosophical logic based on the Aristotelean translations and original compositions of Boethius. These Boethian translations and works were the primary texts of logical training throughout the Middle Ages, and they were the most widespread means through which Aristotle’s teachings were known. Serving as the basis for higher education throughout Medieval Europe, these texts influenced the method and discussion of almost every discipline.

The present specimen is especially interesting and important as an example of a university textbook used by a succession of students: it contains contemporary and near-contemporary marginal annotations in a variety of hands and styles, which both correct and comment on the base texts. It is lacking the first 14 lines of De Categoriae, otherwise textually complete.