Publii Papinii Statii Sylvarum lib. V. ; Thebaidos lib. XII. ; Achilleidos lib. II.
by P. Papinius Statius
Publii Papinii Statii Sylvarum lib. V. ; Thebaidos lib. XII. ; Achilleidos lib. II | |
Title page from Publii Papinii Statii Sylvarum lib. V. ; Thebaidos lib. XII. ; Achilleidos lib. II, George Wythe Collection, Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary. | |
Author | P. Papinius Statius |
Published | Lugd. Batav.: Ex officina Hackiana, Ao |
Date | 1671 |
Language | Latin |
Volumes | 1 volume set |
Statius’s Thebaid, published c. 91 CE, is the only Roman epic certainly published as a complete work by its author.[6] It contains twelve books and took the poet twelve years to complete.[7] In his account of the war between Oedipus’ sons over Thebes, Statius critically examined his own style and writing, and drew on many other works to inspire his framework and problematically deep themes of civil war, absolutism, human violence and madness, succession, authority, and familial discord.[8]
The Silvae was a collection of five books, the first four published between 91 and 95CE, and the fifth most likely published after Statius’ death in 96CE.[9] The collection contains thirty-two poems, twenty-six of them in the standard post-classical Greek meter of hexameter.[10] Statius wrote these poems for his patrons, including Domitian, to immortalize specific events in their lives as well as his own. As a simpler and more spontaneous, less polished work than the Thebaid, the Silvae has greater appeal to many casual readers, though the former epic is attractive for its depth and exploration.[11]
The Achilleid is the last book of poems by Statius, written after his retirement to Naples, but unfinished due to his death.[12] It was meant to tell the story of Achilles, though the completion of only the first book and part of the second means that all that is written is Thetis’ anxiety for her son’s future through Achilles’ departure for Troy.[13]
Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library
Listed in the Jefferson Inventory of Wythe's Library as "Statius. varior. 8vo." This was one of the books kept by Thomas Jefferson. He later sold a copy to the Library of Congress in 1815, but it no longer exists to verify the edition or Wythe's prior ownership.[14] Both the Brown Bibliography[15] and George Wythe's Library[16] on LibraryThing include the 1671 Leiden edition based on E. Millicent Sowerby's inclusion of that edition in Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson. The Wolf Law Library purchased a copy of the same edition.
Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy
Octavo, bound in burgundy goatskin with attractive gilt-outlined paneling floral cornerpieces on the boards. Has gilt decoration on edges with matching inner gilt rolls and five raised bands on spine with gilt decorations on the bands. All edges gilt over marbling. Contains marbled endpapers with pencil annotations and ownership inscription of Edmund Lamb on the first blank. Purchased from Collectable Books.
View this book in William & Mary's online catalog.
References
- ↑ "Stā'tius” in The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, ed. by M.C. Howatson (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011).
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ "Statius, Publius Papinius" in Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World, ed. by John Roberts (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007).
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ "Stā'tius” in The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature.
- ↑ "Statius, Publius Papinius" in Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World.
- ↑ "Stā'tius” in The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature.
- ↑ "Statius, Publius Papinius" in Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World.
- ↑ "Stā'tius” in The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature.
- ↑ "Statius, Publius Papinius" in Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ "Stā'tius” in The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ E. Millicent Sowerby, Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson 2nd ed. (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1983), 4:428 (no.4299).
- ↑ Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, May, 2012) Microsoft Word file. Earlier edition available at: https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/13433
- ↑ LibraryThing, s. v. "Member: George Wythe", accessed February 28, 2014.
External Links
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