This is a genuine 1871 Paris imprint from Firmin Didot Frères, one of France's most prestigious publishing houses and the official printer to the Institut de France. Part of the "Collection des Auteurs Latins" series edited by M. Nisard of the Académie Française, this volume collects the complete works of Cornelius Nepos, Quintus Curtius (Quinte-Curce), Justin, Valerius Maximus, and Julius Obsequens, with facing French translation. The date is confirmed in Roman numerals on the title page: M DCCC LXXI.

The binding is a handsome half-leather over marbled boards, typical of quality French institutional bindings of the Second Empire and early Third Republic period. The spine has raised bands with gilt-lettered titles. Inside you'll find two sets of marbled endpapers, one in the classic orange-and-black swirl pattern and one in a deep pink moiré style, both characteristic of high-quality French bookbinding of the period. The page edges are red.

Nisard's "Collection des Auteurs Latins" was the standard scholarly edition used in French lycées and universities throughout the 19th century and is actively collected today by lovers of classical literature, fine French printing, and decorative antique books. Firmin Didot editions in original bindings are specifically sought by book collectors. This one is a single-volume omnibus covering five major Roman historians and moralists, making it especially useful as a reference piece.

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