1685-Xenophon
Xenophon, Atheniensis. (ca. 430-355 B.C.) Xenophon’s History of the Affairs of Greece, In Seven Books: Being A Continuation of the Peloponnesian War; from the Time where Thucydides ends, to the Battel at Mantinea. To which is prefixed an Abstract of Thucydides, and a brief Account of the Land and Naval Forces of the Ancient Greeks. Translated from the Greek, By John Newman. London: Printed by R.H. for William Freeman over against the Devil Tavern by Temple-Bar, in Fleet-Street, 1685. John Newman:
Octavo, 7.2 x 4.6 in. Translated from the Greek by John Newman. First edition of this translation. †8 (preliminary †1 blank and present), A6, a8, b2, B-Z8, Aa-Gg8. This copy is in good condition internally throughout. It has been recently rebound in quarter calf, period style.
“Hellenica is Xenophon’s seven-book history of Greek affairs, written in two linguistically distinguishable parts. It was perhaps created at widely differing times, the first possibly as early as the 380’s, the second in the mid-350’s. [The work] covers the Peloponnesian War from 411 to the destruction of Athens’ walls, the overthrow of democracy and the surrender of Samos in 404. The opening narrative links imperfectly with Thucydides, but the intention can be only to ‘complete’ the Thucydidean account, though this is achieved with little reproduction of Thucydides’ historiographical characteristics. Continuing the story, [Xenophon] covers the Thirty Tyrants, Sparta’s Asiatic campaigns, the Corinthian War and King’s Peace, Spartan imperialism in Greece, the rise of Thebes and the Peloponnesian consequences of Leuctra. The text ends at Mantinea, with Greece in an unabated state of uncertainty and confusion. The account is centered on Sparta and characterized by surprising omissions, a tendency to expose the shortcomings of all states, including Sparta, and recurrent hostility to imperial aspirations.” (OCD)
$450.00
