Art, Gold & Silver, Primitives & Rare Books
Lot 129:
Description
Late 18th century leather bound reference work titled Bibliotheca Classica; or A Classical Dictionary by J. Lempriere, A.M., identified on the title page as the Third Edition, Greatly Enlarged, printed in London for T. Cadell, Junior and W. Davies in the Strand, dated MDCCXCVII (1797). The volume measures approximately 8.5 x 5.5 x 2.5 inches and is bound in its original period leather boards with a worn but intact spine label reading Lempriere’s Classical Dictionary. Lempriere’s work became one of the most widely used classical reference books of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, compiling mythology, geography, biography, and historical references relating to ancient Greek and Roman authors and was widely used by students and scholars for generations. The book displays heavy age and use including edge wear to the leather binding, toning and staining to pages, and period handwritten inscriptions and notes to the front endpapers and title page including dated entries such as “J. Johnson Sept 4 Boston 1808.” Despite its wear the volume remains an authentic early edition example of an influential classical reference text and offers strong appeal to collectors of early books, classical studies, and 18th century printed works.
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