EXCEPTIONAL FIRST EDITION OF POPE’S FAMOUS TRANSLATION OF HOMER’S ILIAD, 1715-1720

(HOMER). The Iliad of Homer. London: Bernard Lintot, 1715-20. Six volumes. Tall quarto, contemporary full brown speckled calf, raised bands, elaborately gilt-decorated spines, burgundy morocco spine labels.

Extraordinary first edition of Pope’s famous translation of Homer’s Iliad. Beautifully illustrated with a fine frontispiece portrait of Homer in Volume I, folding maps of Homeric Greece and the siege of Troy, and the engraving of the Shield of Achilles.

Encouraged by Swift, Addison, and Steele, among others, Pope began his translation of Homer in 1713, an arduous undertaking that would prove to be the most laborious literary enterprise of his life, but one to which he was well-suited. “Idolatry of classical models was an essential part of the religion of men of letters of the day… But a Homer in modern English was still wanting. Pope’s rising fame and his familiarity with the literary and social leaders made him the man for the opportunity… The ‘Homer’ was long regarded as a masterpiece, and for a century was the source from which clever schoolboys like Byron learnt that Homer was not a mere instrument of torture invented by their masters. No translation of profane literature has ever occupied such a position” (DNB). Samuel Johnson, in his Life of Pope, calls it “certainly the noblest version of poetry which the world has ever seen; and its publication must therefore be considered as one of the great events in the annals of learning;” likewise, De Quincey regarded it as “unquestionably the greatest literary labor” (Allibone, 1632-34). Certainly, Pope’s long-lasting literary fame rests to a large degree on the great success and extensive influence of these translations. Beautifully illustrated with copper-engravings, including the fine bust of Homer by George Vertue as frontispiece to Volume I (not found in many copies), a double-page map of Homeric Greece, an engraving of the Shield of Achilles, and numerous historiated initials and elaborate head- and tailpieces. The six volumes of the Iliad were issued between 1715-20, in only 650 copies for 575 subscribers. Bound without half titles, except Volume I, as often. Map of Homeric Greece bound in Volume I; scarce map of the siege of Troy bound in Volume II; engraving of the Shield of Achilles bound in Volume V. Brueggemann, 25. Lowndes, 1100. Griffith 39, 47, 75, 93, 112, 116. Contemporary armorial bookplates of Sir William Bennet, first Baronet Bennet of Grubett, Scotland.

Interiors clean and crisp. Minor expert restoration to a few joints, spine heads, and corners. A fine, handsome copy in contemporary calf-gilt.