Chapman’s Homer (1611)
HOMER (fl. 9th or 8th century BCE)
CHAPMAN, George (1559-1634, Translator)
Homer’s Odysses translated according to the Greek by George Chapman [and] The Iliads of Homer, London: Richard Field for Nathaniel Butter, [n.d., 1615, 1611]
A source for Troilus & Cressida. Shakespeare no doubt knew The Seaven Bookes of The Iliades that his fellow playwright George Chapman published in 1598, and there is scholarly debate as to whether he may have read Chapman's full translation in manuscript. See “Shakespeare and Homer,“ The Cambridge Guide to Homer, ed. Corinne Pache (Cambridge University Press, 2020), pp. 598-599.
The Romantic poet John Keats famously celebrated this book in his sonnet "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer."
FIRST EDITIONS (circa 1615; 1611), Odyssey bound before Iliad, order sometimes reversed, folio in sixes, approximately 265 x 175 mm, 10½ x 6¾ inches.
ODYSSEY: 24 books, engraved title-page (A2) showing Homer in center surrounded by shadowy figures, with seated Pallas and Ulysses below, title inscribed in cupid-supported decorative panel at top, some decorated head- and tailpieces and initials, pages: [10], 1-193, [1], 195-378, [8], collation: A-R8 (-A1 & R8 - blanks), R2 & R3 misplaced after R5; S-Hh6; Ii8. Engraved title lightly browned and worn at edges, laid down on thick paper to strengthen, margins of prelims lightly thumbed, lower edges of 2 prelims slightly soft with small chips, corners also dog-eared with small chips, small closed tears mostly to top margins of pages 3-36 with neat repairs, no damage to text, occasional light soiling or small stains, 60 mm (2½") brown stain on D2, all still easily legible, top corner of O6 torn off with slight loss of text to 5 lines on verso, ink smudge in blank area of page 109, very early ink marginalia (17th cent.) and some marks in the margins and underlining in Books 9, 10 and 11, some brief early notes on page 193 on blank verso, minor worm track to inner margins, top edges fragile and fraying throughout and many pale stains and spotting, 2¾" closed tear to lower edge of page 315, running into text neatly repaired with no loss of text, small blank corner missing from Ii3-Ii6, neat archival tape repairs to lower margins, last page extensively repaired to margins, with loss of a few letters.
THE ILIADS OF HOMER prince of poets Never before in any languag (sic) truely translated. With a co[m]ment uppon some of his chiefe places: 24 books. LACKING ENGRAVED TITLE-PAGE, 18 pages of prelims and preliminary and final blank, decorated head- and tailpieces and initials, pages: [8 of 26], 1-341, [1], [8 of 10], collation: pi1,*6, (-pi1 & *1-6), A-Ff6 (-A1& A2), Gg8 (-Gg8 a blank), errata on A6r, Gg4-Gg7 contain dedicatory sonnets. Gg2 is signed G2. The mispaginations for both books are the same as listed in Pforzheimer. Small repair to upper margin of A3-C3, another to fore-edge of B6, C1 and H6, occasional pale damp stains to margins, light thumbing to some margins, a few small stains, no loss of legibility, final 2 leaves lightly browned.
Bound together in full modern panelled calf with blind stamped decoration, gilt decorated raised bands, richly gilt in compartments, gilt lettered red morocco label, new cream endpapers. All main text present in both books.
References: The Odyssey: STC 13637; ESTC S118235; Pforzheimer 170; The Iliad: STC 13634; ESTC S119234; Pforzheimer 169.
HOMER (fl. 9th or 8th century BCE)
CHAPMAN, George (1559-1634, Translator)
Homer’s Odysses translated according to the Greek by George Chapman [and] The Iliads of Homer, London: Richard Field for Nathaniel Butter, [n.d., 1615, 1611]
A source for Troilus & Cressida. Shakespeare no doubt knew The Seaven Bookes of The Iliades that his fellow playwright George Chapman published in 1598, and there is scholarly debate as to whether he may have read Chapman's full translation in manuscript. See “Shakespeare and Homer,“ The Cambridge Guide to Homer, ed. Corinne Pache (Cambridge University Press, 2020), pp. 598-599.
The Romantic poet John Keats famously celebrated this book in his sonnet "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer."
FIRST EDITIONS (circa 1615; 1611), Odyssey bound before Iliad, order sometimes reversed, folio in sixes, approximately 265 x 175 mm, 10½ x 6¾ inches.
ODYSSEY: 24 books, engraved title-page (A2) showing Homer in center surrounded by shadowy figures, with seated Pallas and Ulysses below, title inscribed in cupid-supported decorative panel at top, some decorated head- and tailpieces and initials, pages: [10], 1-193, [1], 195-378, [8], collation: A-R8 (-A1 & R8 - blanks), R2 & R3 misplaced after R5; S-Hh6; Ii8. Engraved title lightly browned and worn at edges, laid down on thick paper to strengthen, margins of prelims lightly thumbed, lower edges of 2 prelims slightly soft with small chips, corners also dog-eared with small chips, small closed tears mostly to top margins of pages 3-36 with neat repairs, no damage to text, occasional light soiling or small stains, 60 mm (2½") brown stain on D2, all still easily legible, top corner of O6 torn off with slight loss of text to 5 lines on verso, ink smudge in blank area of page 109, very early ink marginalia (17th cent.) and some marks in the margins and underlining in Books 9, 10 and 11, some brief early notes on page 193 on blank verso, minor worm track to inner margins, top edges fragile and fraying throughout and many pale stains and spotting, 2¾" closed tear to lower edge of page 315, running into text neatly repaired with no loss of text, small blank corner missing from Ii3-Ii6, neat archival tape repairs to lower margins, last page extensively repaired to margins, with loss of a few letters.
THE ILIADS OF HOMER prince of poets Never before in any languag (sic) truely translated. With a co[m]ment uppon some of his chiefe places: 24 books. LACKING ENGRAVED TITLE-PAGE, 18 pages of prelims and preliminary and final blank, decorated head- and tailpieces and initials, pages: [8 of 26], 1-341, [1], [8 of 10], collation: pi1,*6, (-pi1 & *1-6), A-Ff6 (-A1& A2), Gg8 (-Gg8 a blank), errata on A6r, Gg4-Gg7 contain dedicatory sonnets. Gg2 is signed G2. The mispaginations for both books are the same as listed in Pforzheimer. Small repair to upper margin of A3-C3, another to fore-edge of B6, C1 and H6, occasional pale damp stains to margins, light thumbing to some margins, a few small stains, no loss of legibility, final 2 leaves lightly browned.
Bound together in full modern panelled calf with blind stamped decoration, gilt decorated raised bands, richly gilt in compartments, gilt lettered red morocco label, new cream endpapers. All main text present in both books.
References: The Odyssey: STC 13637; ESTC S118235; Pforzheimer 170; The Iliad: STC 13634; ESTC S119234; Pforzheimer 169.
HOMER (fl. 9th or 8th century BCE)
CHAPMAN, George (1559-1634, Translator)
Homer’s Odysses translated according to the Greek by George Chapman [and] The Iliads of Homer, London: Richard Field for Nathaniel Butter, [n.d., 1615, 1611]
A source for Troilus & Cressida. Shakespeare no doubt knew The Seaven Bookes of The Iliades that his fellow playwright George Chapman published in 1598, and there is scholarly debate as to whether he may have read Chapman's full translation in manuscript. See “Shakespeare and Homer,“ The Cambridge Guide to Homer, ed. Corinne Pache (Cambridge University Press, 2020), pp. 598-599.
The Romantic poet John Keats famously celebrated this book in his sonnet "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer."
FIRST EDITIONS (circa 1615; 1611), Odyssey bound before Iliad, order sometimes reversed, folio in sixes, approximately 265 x 175 mm, 10½ x 6¾ inches.
ODYSSEY: 24 books, engraved title-page (A2) showing Homer in center surrounded by shadowy figures, with seated Pallas and Ulysses below, title inscribed in cupid-supported decorative panel at top, some decorated head- and tailpieces and initials, pages: [10], 1-193, [1], 195-378, [8], collation: A-R8 (-A1 & R8 - blanks), R2 & R3 misplaced after R5; S-Hh6; Ii8. Engraved title lightly browned and worn at edges, laid down on thick paper to strengthen, margins of prelims lightly thumbed, lower edges of 2 prelims slightly soft with small chips, corners also dog-eared with small chips, small closed tears mostly to top margins of pages 3-36 with neat repairs, no damage to text, occasional light soiling or small stains, 60 mm (2½") brown stain on D2, all still easily legible, top corner of O6 torn off with slight loss of text to 5 lines on verso, ink smudge in blank area of page 109, very early ink marginalia (17th cent.) and some marks in the margins and underlining in Books 9, 10 and 11, some brief early notes on page 193 on blank verso, minor worm track to inner margins, top edges fragile and fraying throughout and many pale stains and spotting, 2¾" closed tear to lower edge of page 315, running into text neatly repaired with no loss of text, small blank corner missing from Ii3-Ii6, neat archival tape repairs to lower margins, last page extensively repaired to margins, with loss of a few letters.
THE ILIADS OF HOMER prince of poets Never before in any languag (sic) truely translated. With a co[m]ment uppon some of his chiefe places: 24 books. LACKING ENGRAVED TITLE-PAGE, 18 pages of prelims and preliminary and final blank, decorated head- and tailpieces and initials, pages: [8 of 26], 1-341, [1], [8 of 10], collation: pi1,*6, (-pi1 & *1-6), A-Ff6 (-A1& A2), Gg8 (-Gg8 a blank), errata on A6r, Gg4-Gg7 contain dedicatory sonnets. Gg2 is signed G2. The mispaginations for both books are the same as listed in Pforzheimer. Small repair to upper margin of A3-C3, another to fore-edge of B6, C1 and H6, occasional pale damp stains to margins, light thumbing to some margins, a few small stains, no loss of legibility, final 2 leaves lightly browned.
Bound together in full modern panelled calf with blind stamped decoration, gilt decorated raised bands, richly gilt in compartments, gilt lettered red morocco label, new cream endpapers. All main text present in both books.
References: The Odyssey: STC 13637; ESTC S118235; Pforzheimer 170; The Iliad: STC 13634; ESTC S119234; Pforzheimer 169.