1739 1st Edition (Oxford) ,
THE DESTRUCTION OF TROY / TRYPHIODORI ILII EXCIDIUM
A handsome and bibliographically important Oxford pair: the first edition of James Merrick’s English translation of Tryphiodorus’ Destruction of Troy, issued with notes and an extended dissertation, together with the companion first edition of the Greek text with Nicodemus Frischlin’s metrical Latin version and scholarly apparatus. A particularly appealing provenance copy, from the Ombersley Court Library of the Sandys family, with Sandys armorial bookplate, and acquired from Chorley’s The Ombersley Court Library sale. Merrick’s translation presents Tryphiodorus explicitly as the “sequel of the Iliad,” framing the late-antique poem for an eighteenth-century English readership while the companion volume anchors the project in Oxford classical scholarship.
By Tryphiodorus. Edited / translated by James Merrick
Author Bio: Tryphiodorus was a late-antique Greek poet and grammarian, probably active in Egypt in the third or fourth century AD; his sole surviving poem is the Taking of Ilios / Destruction of Troy. James Merrick was an English poet and classical scholar of Trinity College, Oxford, whose 1739 translation and 1741 scholarly edition brought the text to an eighteenth-century learned audience in both English and bilingual classical form.
Provenance: From the Ombersley Court Library, Worcestershire, the long-standing Sandys family library dispersed by Chorley’s in 2024. Acquired from Chorley’s, with Sandys armorial bookplate; the Sandys / Edwin Sandys plates are catalogued in the Franks Bequest under the Sandys entries, including “Lord Sandys” and “Edwin Sandys” (Franks 26091, 26093, 26094).
Synopsis: Tryphiodorus’ poem recounts the final catastrophe of Troy after the events of Homer: the making and reception of the Wooden Horse, Sinon’s deception, Cassandra’s warnings, Helen’s testing of the hidden Greeks, the nocturnal sack of the city, and the sacrifice of Polyxena before the Achaeans depart. Merrick’s English volume is more than a translation: it includes a substantial dissertation on the life and writings of Tryphiodorus and a subscriber list, while the second volume offers the Greek text, Frischlin’s Latin verse rendering, and scholarly notes. Together the two volumes form an attractive example of Oxford’s eighteenth-century classical printing and reception of post-Homeric epic.
Binding: Hardcover, Octavo (Standard) (8vo 6 × 9 in 152 × 229 mm )
Note: Binding/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary.
Collation: Vol. I: [24], lxxxviii, 151, [1] pp.
Vol. II: [8], 112 pp
Language: English
Published By: Vol. I: Printed at the Theatre, Oxford, [1739]. Vol. II: E Theatro Sheldoniano, Oxonii, [1741]. Dates in library records are supplied from the imprimatur., Oxford
Condition Report:
Dust Jacket: No Jacket, Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Very Good - A sound, attractive, unsophisticated pair in matching early bindings. Spines rubbed and darkened, with surface wear, small losses, and some fading to the lettering area; boards worn at edges and corners, but still very presentable. Internally, the books show the expected age-toning and scattered spotting / light foxing of eighteenth-century paper, with some dust-soiling and browning to title-pages and preliminaries, but the text remains clean and readable overall. Bookplate present. The engraved title vignettes are clear and attractive, and the set has the visual appeal of a genuine country-house survival with unforced provenance.
A neatly matched first-edition Oxford set of Merrick’s Tryphiodorus, desirable both for its scholarly form and for its documented Ombersley Court / Sandys provenance.
Binding:
Hardcover, octavo (8vo; approx. 23 cm / 9 in, by bibliographic record). Matching early calf-backed sprinkled / marbled paper boards, spines with raised bands; one volume retaining a red morocco lettering-piece, the other rubbed.
Collation:
2 volumes. Vol. I: The Destruction of Troy. Being the Sequel of the Iliad — [24], lxxxviii, 151, [1] pp. Vol. II: Tryphiodori Ilii Excidium — [8], 112 pp. Both half-titles appear present from the photographs supplied; engraved title vignettes present; terminal index leaf present in Vol. II. The set is complete.
References:
ESTC T102771 (Vol. I); ESTC T102772 (Vol. II)
Foxon M193
WorldCat / OCLC 1927083 and 458406845
Franks, Catalogue of British and American Book Plates (Sandys entries 26091, 26093–26094)
Chorley’s, The Ombersley Court Library.
SKU: BTETM0002456
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 2Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
1739 1st Edition (Oxford) ,
THE DESTRUCTION OF TROY / TRYPHIODORI ILII EXCIDIUM
A handsome and bibliographically important Oxford pair: the first edition of James Merrick’s English translation of Tryphiodorus’ Destruction of Troy, issued with notes and an extended dissertation, together with the companion first edition of the Greek text with Nicodemus Frischlin’s metrical Latin version and scholarly apparatus. A particularly appealing provenance copy, from the Ombersley Court Library of the Sandys family, with Sandys armorial bookplate, and acquired from Chorley’s The Ombersley Court Library sale. Merrick’s translation presents Tryphiodorus explicitly as the “sequel of the Iliad,” framing the late-antique poem for an eighteenth-century English readership while the companion volume anchors the project in Oxford classical scholarship.
By Tryphiodorus. Edited / translated by James Merrick
Author Bio: Tryphiodorus was a late-antique Greek poet and grammarian, probably active in Egypt in the third or fourth century AD; his sole surviving poem is the Taking of Ilios / Destruction of Troy. James Merrick was an English poet and classical scholar of Trinity College, Oxford, whose 1739 translation and 1741 scholarly edition brought the text to an eighteenth-century learned audience in both English and bilingual classical form.
Provenance: From the Ombersley Court Library, Worcestershire, the long-standing Sandys family library dispersed by Chorley’s in 2024. Acquired from Chorley’s, with Sandys armorial bookplate; the Sandys / Edwin Sandys plates are catalogued in the Franks Bequest under the Sandys entries, including “Lord Sandys” and “Edwin Sandys” (Franks 26091, 26093, 26094).
Synopsis: Tryphiodorus’ poem recounts the final catastrophe of Troy after the events of Homer: the making and reception of the Wooden Horse, Sinon’s deception, Cassandra’s warnings, Helen’s testing of the hidden Greeks, the nocturnal sack of the city, and the sacrifice of Polyxena before the Achaeans depart. Merrick’s English volume is more than a translation: it includes a substantial dissertation on the life and writings of Tryphiodorus and a subscriber list, while the second volume offers the Greek text, Frischlin’s Latin verse rendering, and scholarly notes. Together the two volumes form an attractive example of Oxford’s eighteenth-century classical printing and reception of post-Homeric epic.
Binding: Hardcover, Octavo (Standard) (8vo 6 × 9 in 152 × 229 mm )
Note: Binding/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary.
Collation: Vol. I: [24], lxxxviii, 151, [1] pp.
Vol. II: [8], 112 pp
Language: English
Published By: Vol. I: Printed at the Theatre, Oxford, [1739]. Vol. II: E Theatro Sheldoniano, Oxonii, [1741]. Dates in library records are supplied from the imprimatur., Oxford
Condition Report:
Dust Jacket: No Jacket, Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Very Good - A sound, attractive, unsophisticated pair in matching early bindings. Spines rubbed and darkened, with surface wear, small losses, and some fading to the lettering area; boards worn at edges and corners, but still very presentable. Internally, the books show the expected age-toning and scattered spotting / light foxing of eighteenth-century paper, with some dust-soiling and browning to title-pages and preliminaries, but the text remains clean and readable overall. Bookplate present. The engraved title vignettes are clear and attractive, and the set has the visual appeal of a genuine country-house survival with unforced provenance.
A neatly matched first-edition Oxford set of Merrick’s Tryphiodorus, desirable both for its scholarly form and for its documented Ombersley Court / Sandys provenance.
Binding:
Hardcover, octavo (8vo; approx. 23 cm / 9 in, by bibliographic record). Matching early calf-backed sprinkled / marbled paper boards, spines with raised bands; one volume retaining a red morocco lettering-piece, the other rubbed.
Collation:
2 volumes. Vol. I: The Destruction of Troy. Being the Sequel of the Iliad — [24], lxxxviii, 151, [1] pp. Vol. II: Tryphiodori Ilii Excidium — [8], 112 pp. Both half-titles appear present from the photographs supplied; engraved title vignettes present; terminal index leaf present in Vol. II. The set is complete.
References:
ESTC T102771 (Vol. I); ESTC T102772 (Vol. II)
Foxon M193
WorldCat / OCLC 1927083 and 458406845
Franks, Catalogue of British and American Book Plates (Sandys entries 26091, 26093–26094)
Chorley’s, The Ombersley Court Library.
SKU: BTETM0002456
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 2Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
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