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Observations on the Poetics of Aristotle, by Metastasio... with a biographical notice of the author..
by ELWIN, Hastings (attributed)
- Used
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Sydney: Kemp & Fairfax, 1842. First Edition. Rare, and very fine: a presentation copy (inscribed on the front endpaper to Walter Wrottersley "from the translator") of an unusual publication for this period in Australia, a translation of an obscure commentary on Aristotle. Almost nothing of a philosophical bent was published in Australia before the 1850s and the creation of the Universities of Sydney and Melbourne. Perhaps the earliest philosophical work printed in Sydney?
Elwin says that he translated part of the eighteenth-century writer Metastasio's critical observations on the Poetics in order to place "such portion as appeared to be likely to engage the attention, as well from the nature of the immediate topic, as from the spirited manner in which it is treated... within reach of the English reader". Metastasio, or Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, is best known today because Mozart used his "La Clemenzo di Tito" as the basis for his libretto.
Ferguson originally entered the translator as Elwin Hastings, but the Addenda notes that his identity as Hastings Elwin was established by an inscribed presentation copy offered by Henry Cork, London, Cat. 5 (1929) No. 294. Hastings Elwin was a rather grand figure, friend of the poet Thomas Moore, elected to the NSW Legislative Council in 1843. Small quarto; original embossed cloth boards with dark green calf spine gilt, partially unopened, in fine condition.
Elwin says that he translated part of the eighteenth-century writer Metastasio's critical observations on the Poetics in order to place "such portion as appeared to be likely to engage the attention, as well from the nature of the immediate topic, as from the spirited manner in which it is treated... within reach of the English reader". Metastasio, or Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, is best known today because Mozart used his "La Clemenzo di Tito" as the basis for his libretto.
Ferguson originally entered the translator as Elwin Hastings, but the Addenda notes that his identity as Hastings Elwin was established by an inscribed presentation copy offered by Henry Cork, London, Cat. 5 (1929) No. 294. Hastings Elwin was a rather grand figure, friend of the poet Thomas Moore, elected to the NSW Legislative Council in 1843. Small quarto; original embossed cloth boards with dark green calf spine gilt, partially unopened, in fine condition.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Rare Illustrated Books
(AU)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 1603
- Title
- Observations on the Poetics of Aristotle, by Metastasio... with a biographical notice of the author..
- Author
- ELWIN, Hastings (attributed)
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- Kemp & Fairfax
- Place of Publication
- Sydney
- Date Published
- 1842
- Keywords
- philosophy Aristotle Metastasio Poetics Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi Mozart
- Bookseller catalogs
- Poetry; Aesthetics;
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Rare Illustrated Books
Biblio member since 2018
Sydney, New South Wales
About Rare Illustrated Books
Intriguing and rare collectors' books of international interest from 1850 - 1950. We buy and sell - fine condition paramount.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Inscribed
- When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Unopened
- A state in which all or some of the pages of a book have not been separated from the adjacent pages, caused by a traditional...
- Calf
- Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
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