The Works of Homer 1760; Finely Bound Alexander Pope Translation

The Odyssey and The Iliad of Homer in 5 and 6 volumes respectively, constituting an 11 volume uniformly bound set. The Alexander Pope translation, printed by Charles Rivington in 1760.

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Beautiful typography throughout the volumes with a wonderful font, weighting, spacing, margin size, etc.

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An absolutely stunning set with rebacked spines in fine condition. The rebacking alone would have cost approximately £100 per volume and they present as stunningly beautiful. Unfortunately it's not known who did the rebacking, but these volumes represent the most beautiful edition of Homer's works we have ever come across.

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Alexander Pope's translation of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey is considered one of the greatest literary achievements in English. This edition, printed in 1760 by Charles Rivington, was based on Pope's own interpretation of the ancient Greek texts, and it aimed to capture the spirit and meaning of the original works while still making them accessible to a wider English-speaking audience.

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Pope's translation is praised for its poetic language, vivid imagery, and skilful use of the heroic couplet form. It was widely popular in the 18th century and helped to establish the classical epic as a literary genre in English literature. Despite some criticisms of Pope's creative interpretation of the original texts, his translation remains a significant contribution to the study of classical literature and a celebrated work in its own right.

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Size: 14.5 x 21.5 cm (each)

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Condition:

Spines fine, contemporary rebacked preserving original boards which have some very small and indeed practically unnoticeable spots of restoration, but are generally near fine to fine. Some exceedingly minor wear to extremities and some very minor deformation to corners. All boards are securely attached with contemporary hinges and joints in fine condition. Page edges near fine, some discolouration to top edge. Some loss to gilt on edges of boards. Bookplate to front pastedown of each volume of George Leycester with a small ink ownership inscription to the front free endpaper of each volume dated 1764. Title page onwards (text block) in each volume near fine internally with some occasional toning, a tiny few spots of foxing, and some minor discolouration affecting a few (but not all) volumes - e.g. volume 1 of the Odyssey is internally fine.