“THE GREATEST PIECE OF LITERARY CRITICISM IN EXISTENCE”: 1705 FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH OF ARISTOTLE’S POETICS

ARISTOTLE. Aristotle's Art of Poetry. Translated from the Original Greek, According to Mr. Theodore Goulfton's Edition. Together, with Mr. D'Acier's Notes Translated from the French. London: Dan. Browne and Will. Turner, 1705. Octavo, period-style full speckled calf, spine gilt, raised bands. $4500.

First edition in English of Aristotle’s Poetics, in a handsome speckled calf binding.

"Aristotle is not only one of the great classical philosophers, the master of every branch of ancient knowledge: his method still underlies all modern thinking" (PMM 38). His Poetics is regarded as "the greatest piece of literary criticism in existence" (Hornstein, 38). The anonymous translator of this 1705 edition, the first in English, has compared D'Acier's French version to the original Greek, and has written explanations and improvements in his notes and lengthy preface. The pagination is somewhat erratic (one set of numbers is omitted while others are used more than once), but the text is nonetheless complete. BMC I: 923 (1033). ESTC T116276. Harris, 13.

Some signatures toned; two pages with pencil annotations. An elegantly bound copy.