Friday, September 30, 2011
Strafforello: La Sapienza del Mondo
La Sapienza del Mondo by Gustavo Strafforello (1883)
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
This book claims to be a "universal dictionary of the proverbs of all peoples." In three volumes, it certainly has a claim to being comprehensive, if not universal! The book is organized alphabetically by Italian keywords. The Italian proverbs are best represented, of course, but there are lots of Latin proverbs here too. The book is useful even if you do not know Italian, but it is much more enjoyable if you do.
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Thursday, September 29, 2011
Buxtorf: Florilegium Hebraicum
Florilegium Hebraicum by Johann Buxtorf (1648)
This is a lovely scan of the book which contains the voweled Hebrew sayings with Latin translations and Latin notes, too.
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Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Stassart: Fables
Fables by Baron de Goswin Joseph Augustin Stassart (1850)
This is an English translation of Stassart's French fables - and the verse translations by John Henry Keane are truly charming!
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Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Hazlitt: English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases by William Carew Hazlitt (1882)
This is an excellent collection of English proverbs, with some useful commentary and some observations as to sources.
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Monday, September 26, 2011
Marvin: Curiosities in Proverbs
Curiosities in Proverbs by Dwight Edwards Marvin (1916)
As the full title of the book explains, this is "a collection of unusual adages, maxims, aphorisms, phrases and other popular dicta from many lands." The book is organized by proverb types, such as "rhyming proverbs" (my favorites!), "question-and-answer proverbs," etc. The book is a list of proverbs with a bit of commentary for each one - a very fun book to browse through, although the Latin examples come only with English translations - no Latin is quoted.
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Sunday, September 25, 2011
Prior: Lusus Westmonasteriensis
Lusus Westmonasteriensis by Robert Prior (1750)
This is a collection of epigrams from the Westminster School originally published by Prior in 1730. The headmaster of the School would set the theme and the students would compose. There is a follow-up volume also, containing longer poems which were the prologues and epilogues to the plays put on at the school: Lusus Alteri Westmonasterienses.
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Saturday, September 24, 2011
Lancelot: Epigrammatum Delectus
Epigrammatum Delectus by Claude Lancelot (1740)
Here is the full title of the book: Epigrammatum Delectus ex omnibus tum veteribus, tum recentioribus poetis accurate decerptus cum dissertatione de vera pulchritudine et adumbrata, in qua, ex certis principiis, reiectionis et selectionis epigrammatum causae redduntur; adiectae sunt elegantes sententiae ex antiquis poetis parce, sed severiore iudicio, selectae, cum brevioribus sententiis ac proverbiis ex autoribus Graecis et Latinis quibus subiungitur alterius delectus specimen ex nuperis maxime poetis ab electoribus praetermissis. This is one of those books prepared for the schoolboys of Eton, "in usum scholae Etonensis." This is the 11th edition of this clearly popular book; you can find earlier editions at Google Books, too. The book iwas originally authored by Claude Lancelot in 1659. The books begins with a large selection of Martial, followed by other classical poets, and then more recent Latin poets. The Latin poems are accompanied by notes in Latin. The appendix of sententiae contain the expected material from Publilius Syrus but also a lovely selection of brief items from the Latin poets.
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Friday, September 23, 2011
Dodd: Epigrammatists
The Epigrammatists by Henry Philip Dodd (1875)
This book provides "a selection from the epigrammatic literature of ancient, mediaeval, and modern times." The chapters are arranged historically, and the epigrams are given in English verse translation only, with detailed notes. It's a big book, nearly 700 pages - and very good fun for browsing!
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Thursday, September 22, 2011
Hieroglyphics of Horapollo Nilous
Hieroglyphics of Horapollo Nilous edited by Alexander Turner Cory (1811)
This is a nice Greek-English facing text edition of the famous "hieroglyphs" of Horapollo.
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Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Martin: Birds of the Latin Poets
The Birds of the Latin Poets by Ernest Whitney Martin (1914)
This is a marvelous book, organized bird by bird, with citations from the Latin poets, major and minor alike!
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Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Liburnius: Divini Platonis Gnomologia
Divini Platonis Gnomologia by Nicolaus Liburnius (1555)
This is a collection of sayings and passages extracted from Plato, rendered into Latin.
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Monday, September 19, 2011
Caussin: De Symbolica AEgyptiorum Aapientia
De Symbolica AEgyptiorum Aapientia by Nicolas Caussin (1654)
Here is the complete title: De symbolica aegyptiorum sapientia: in qua symbola, aenigmata, emblemata, parabolae historicae, apologi, hieroglyphica ex Horo Appolline, Clemente Alexand., S. Epiphanio, Symposio poėta, cum notiis et obseruationibus, itemque Polyhistor Symbolicus et parabolarum hist. Stromata Libris XII complectens. This is an enormous book and, unfortunately, it means that some of the page scans are blurred at the margins, although the book is basically quite readable. The historical "parables" are delightful! There is a 1623 edition which provides a better scan, although it does not contain as many appendices.
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Sunday, September 18, 2011
Horapollinis Hieroglyphica Graece et Latine
Horapollinis Hieroglyphica Graece et Latine by J. Mercerus and D. Hoeschelius (1727)
This is a nice facing-text Greek and Latin edition of Horapollo with detailed notes in Latin.
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Saturday, September 17, 2011
L'Estrange: Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists
Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists by Sir Roger L'Estrange (1738)
This is a 1738 edition of Sir Roger L'Estrange's monumental edition, over 500 pages in length, of Aesop's fables in English, originally published in 1692. It is, in my opinion, the single best edition of Aesop in English, covering not just the ancient Greek and Latin fables, but also many of the later Latin fabulists, such as Abstemius. Each fable is accompanied by L'Estrange's "reflections," which provide a thought-provoking window onto 17th-century life and politics. For more information about L'Estrange, see this post at the Bestiaria Latina blog, which contains a complete list of his other books available at Google Books.
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Friday, September 16, 2011
Sandys: History of Classical Scholarship - 2
A History of Classical Scholarship: Volume 2 by Sir John Edwin Sandys (1908)
This is volume 2 of Sandys's monumental work, beginning with the revival of learning in Italy, with Petrarch and Boccaccio, and continuing on through the eighteenth century.
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Thursday, September 15, 2011
Sandys: History of Classical Scholarship - 1
A History of Classical Scholarship: Volume 1 by Sir John Edwin Sandys (1903)
This is volume 1, ranging from the sixth century B.C.E up to the end of the Middle Ages in the early 14th century.
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Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Fuller: Gnomologia
Gnomologia by Thomas Fuller (1732)
Here is the full title: Gnomologia: Adagies and proverbs; wise sentences and witty sayings, ancient and modern, foreign and British. This is a wonderful collection of English sayings, organized alphabetically - with a whole section of rhyming proverbs in the back of the book!
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Monday, September 12, 2011
Morgan: Macaronic Poetry
Macaronic Poetry edited by J.A. Morgan (1872)
This is a lovely book, with a long introduction on the history of macaronic verse, full of delightful examples, followed by the Pugna Porcorum, then the Canum Cum Catis Certamen, along with a delightful Latino-English version of the second epode of Horace!
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Sandys: Specimens of Macaronic Poetry
Specimens of Macaronic Poetry by edited by William Sandys (1831)
This wonderful book contains the Pugna Porcorum per P. Porcium Poetam! It also contains the wonderful Canum Cum Catis Certamen Carmine Compositum Currente Calamo C. Catulli Caninii. Various other delights are included too!
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Sunday, September 11, 2011
Epitoma Vaticana ex Apollodori Bibliotheca
Epitoma Vaticana ex Apollodori Bibliotheca, edited by R. Wagner (1891)
This is a very readable modern edition, appx. 300 pages in length of the so-called Vatican epitome, which is of special interest to scholars because it covers portions of Apollodorus otherwise lost.
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Saturday, September 10, 2011
Staveren: Auctores Mythographi Latini
Auctores Mythographi Latini, edited by Augustinus van Staveren (1742)
This book contains the mythographical writings of Hyginus, Fulgentius, Lactantius and Albricus, with extremely detailed commentaries.
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Friday, September 9, 2011
Wright: A Selection of Latin Stories
A Selection of Latin Stories by Thomas Wright (1843)
The subtitle of the book explains its purpose: "from manuscripts of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries: a contribution to the history of fiction during the Middle Ages." This is a truly fantastic collection of stories in Latin. There is a glossary as well as notes in the back. You can also find a transcription at Bruce Magee's website.
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Thursday, September 8, 2011
Comparetti: Vergil in the Middle Ages
Vergil in the Middle Ages by Domenico Comparetti (1895)
This is an English translation of the brilliant book by Domenico Comparetti which provides a detailed and wide-ranging introduction to the "Seven Sages" tradition along with the many other legends of Vergil in the Middle Ages. To get a sense of the range covered by this book, take a quick look at the table of contents. This is one of those books that rocked my world when I first read it in graduate school; I am so glad it is now available to everyone! Anyone with an interest in the Vergil of antiquity should really read this book.
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Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Campbell: The Seven Sages of Rome
The Seven Sages of Rome by Killis Campbell (1907)
This is an edition of the Middle English version of the Seven Sages legend, commonly known as the Dolopathos in Latin; the introduction (over 100 pages) is extremely useful for anyone who is interested in this folklore tradition.
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Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Oesterley: Dolopathos
Dolopathos; sive, De rege et septem sapientibus by Johannes de Alta Silva (1873, ed. H. Oesterley)
This is Hermann Oesterley's edition of the Latin version of the "Seven Sages" legend, also known as the Dolopathos. A brilliant book!
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Monday, September 5, 2011
Bogart: Latin Vocabulary (Caesar's Gallic War)
Latin Vocabulary for the First Two Years by Elmer Ellsworth Bogart (1918)
The book is divided into three sections, which the author describes as follows: "The words are listed twice, once in Part I alphabetically, with meanings and inflectional data, and once in Part II in groups arranged i order of frequency of occurrence in the first five boks of Caesar's Gallic War. Part III contains certain groups of words arranged according to type." The frequency lists for Caesar might be useful for someone working on that text, but the focus on Caesar seriously limits the usefulness of this book.
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Sunday, September 4, 2011
Hoare: English Words Derived from Latin Roots
Exotics: or, English Words Derived from Latin Roots by Edward Newenham Hoare (1863)
This book consists of ten lectures on the Latin content of the English vocabulary, and constitutes a follow-up to the author's earlier lectures on the Anglo-Saxon roots of English. Fortunately, there is an index to the Latin words discussed in the back of the book, so even if you are not interested in reading through all the lectures, you can look up any word of interest using the index. With just a few exceptions, the index is already hyperlinked, so you just have to click on the item you are interested in, and you will be taken directly to that page in the book.
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Saturday, September 3, 2011
Greenough: Vocabulary to Virgil
A Special Vocabulary to Virgil by James Bradstreet Greenough (1884)
This is a vocabulary based on all the words found in Vergil - not just the Aeneid, but all of his poetry. The vocabulary is organized like a dictionary, with full forms given for all nouns and verbs, although actual citations from Vergil's poetry are not provided.
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Friday, September 2, 2011
Lodge: Vocabulary of High School Latin
The Vocabulary of High School Latin by Gonzalez Lodge (1912)
Like Jenks' Manual of Latin Word Formation, this book is based on a very narrow selection of Latin reading materials: Caesar's Gallic War I-V; Cicero's speeches against Cataline, on Pompey's Command, and for the poet Archias; and Vergil's Aeneid, books I-VI. The words are presented in two different systems: they are arranged alphabetically in something like dictionary form with comments on usage and detailed citations, and then they are presented in running order that follows the text.
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Thursday, September 1, 2011
Sharpe: Nomenclator Poeticus
Nomenclator Poeticus by Lancelot Sharpe (1836)
This provides the quantities for all the proper names that occur in classical Latin poetry (190 BCE - 500 CE), with quotations that show the metrical usage of those names. The book is arranged alphabetically, and like a dictionary it gives both the nominative and genitive form for each proper name and adjective. The verse citations are fully marked with macrons, with citations provided. So, if you are working with a dictionary that skimps on proper names (as dictionaries sometimes do), this book could be a very useful reference indeed!
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