Name/Title
M.T. Cicero's Cato Major, or His Discourse of Old Age: With Explanatory Notes.Description
(FRANKLIN IMPRINT).  CICERO, Marcus Tullus.  M.T. Cicero's Cato Major, or His Discourse of Old Age: With Explanatory Notes. 8vo, Phila.: Printed & Sold by B. Franklin, 1744. 8vo. 1st American edition of Cicero's "Cato Major" and the first American translation.
Church 949. Clark in "Mathew Carey" 347. Hildeburn 868. Library Company of Philadelphia "First American Editions" p.18. Miller 347. Sabin 13040. Evans 5361. Reese, The Struggle for North America 2. America 2.
One of Benjamin Franklin's most noteworthy publications, and one of the few handsome pieces of printing produced in the British colonies, notable for its striking title page in black and red, with ample letter spacing.
Per Miller: "More interesting bibliographically is the discovery of Edwin Wolf, 2nd (Lib. Co. of Phila Annual Report (1957), pp 24-25) that Franklin had used different sizes of paper and different impositions in printing the book. Throughout the PPL-c.1. and in the initial gathering of the MH-Loring copy, Franklin printed the quires by octavo imposition in half-sheets on a American-milled "medium sheet"; all the other copies examined were imposed in quarto on a Genoese paper running in size near to pot or in the larger copies to foolscap. Logan refers to the differences in quality and size of the papers in an apologetic letter to Collinson, July 29, 1744. The ten presentation copies "on a better and larger paper at the top and bottom" which Logan had sent the Previous March to his British friends were lost when the French captured Capt. Reeves' Ranger on the high seas, and Logan discovered to his chagrin that Franklin had left his shop only the less elegant trade copies for re-shipment. (PHi MS: Letterbook F- Logan Papers Alverthorpe (p. 214).
This is one of the rare examples of Franklin printing the book on quires by octavo imposition on half-sheets on an American-milled "medium sheet" as opposed to most copies printed on a Genoese paper. "[I]t does seem possible that the octavo edition may represent a small first issue which did not satisfy the printer, who, after some copies of it came off the press, decided to print all the rest on good, quarto paper" (Edwin Wolf II, Library Company of Philadelphia for the Year of 1956, pp. 24-5).
This is issue of the first edition, with the typographical error "ony" corrected to "only" on page 27, line 5. Wolf notes: "[T]here is no question of edition nor issue, but merely of a minor typographical error such as occurred in practically every book of the period and which was corrected in normal fashion during the course of the printing.'
"Next to the almanacs the Cato Major is probably Franklin's best-known publication; many think it his most handsome piece of printing, and for a large number of important collectors in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it was the only Franklin imprint worth having in their collections" - C Miller. "Probably the finest production of Franklin's press and really and really a splendid specimen of the art ... It is doubtless, the second classic author translated and printed in North America" (Sabin). "This work was translated, with explanatory notes, by Chief-Justice James Logan, next to Penn and Franklin, the most important character in the early history of Pennsylvania. It is generally conceded to be the finest product of Franklin's press, if not of the American press of the eighteenth century. It is really a beautiful specimen of the printer's art"-Church.     Ownership signature of "James Jacks" on front pastedown and printed bookplate of Wm. V. Whitfield, Jr. Ownership signature "David Edwards, March 31, 1744" at head of title page, more signatures on rear endpaper.Other Names and Numbers
Other Number
BookChurch 949. Clark in "Mathew Carey" 347. Hildeburn 868. Library Company of Philadelphia "First American Editions" p.18. Miller 347. Sabin 13040. Evans 5361. Reese, The Struggle for North America 2. America 2.Condition
Notes
Orig. 18th-century calf double-ruled in gilt, rebacked in period-style gilt-ruled leather, raised spine bands, housed in custom calf-backed marble boards clamshell box. Small amount of faint foxing, light rubbing to boards, upper free corner of leaf E2 professionally repaired, a few unobtrusive blind library stamps, else a very good or better copy.