Welcome to Scrinium Classical Antiquity
Our bookstore specializes in new, second-hand and antiquarian books on Classical Antiquity.This includes the Classical world and tradition: texts and translations, secondary literature, art and archeology, history and philosophy, religion and mythology, the influence of Antiquity on art and literature of Western Europe, and many more subjects.
Latest acquisition: the library of the late Professor W. GEOFFREY ARNOTT, a world authority on the Greek comic playwright Menander.
We also will be adding books from the library of the late SIR KENNETH JAMES DOVER which we acquired last year as well, as from other fine purchases we had in the last few months.
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New books are partly in stock, partly to be ordered from publishers. We are connected to a large number of publishers and distributors, established both in the Netherlands and abroad.
Prices listed do not include shipping costs. (See: conditions).
Scrinium Highlights
a Hand-Picked Selection of our Finest Books- TURYN, A., Dated Greek Manuscripts of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries in the Libraries of Italy. Volume one: Text. Volume two: Plates. University of Illinois Press, Urbana (...), 1972. 2 vols. LIV,294;XXXI,265p. ills. (b/w photographs). Cloth. Lower part front cover vol.1 with small damage (rubbing). Small personal library mark and name on free endpaper. 'These splendid volumes are the counterpart to the author's 'Codices Graeci Vaticani saeculis xiii et xiv scripti annorumque notis instructi', Vatican City, 1964, which they follow with commendable rapidity. They deal with 141 manuscripts in nineteen different libraries of Italy (...). Each hand described is illustrated by a facsimile in the original size (with three exceptions ....). the quality of the plates is admirable. (...) Turyn aims 'to illustrate the origins of a manuscript, its character as a document of Byzantine cuylture, and its rôle in the transmission of ancient and medieval Greek literature'. Hence we are offered not only information on the manuscript as a physical object, but also upon its ontent, its history, and the use that scholars have made of it. (...) Turyn has missed very little relevant bibliography.(...) The facsimiles are the core of the book. Along with those in Turyn's collection of Vatican facsimiles they provide a corpus which will help to determine the authorship, date, place, and milieu of many thousands of late Byzantine manuscripts. (...) All concerned with the Byzantine world and with the tradition of Greek letters will welcome this valuable - and eminently readable - work. Let us hope that it will stimulate scholars in other countries to produce similarly detailed studies of the dated late Byzantine manuscripts in their collections.' (ROBERT BROWNING in The Classical Review (New Series), 1975, pp.390-392). From the library of the late Sir Kenneth James Dover. € 195.00 (Antiquarian)
- DEMOSTHENES, Against Meidias. (Oration 21). Edited with Introduction, Translation, and Commentary by D.M. MacDowell. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1990. XVI,440p. Cloth wrps. Nice copy. (Rare thus). 'An examination of MacDowell's list of previous editions of Against Meidias confirms the measure of neglect suffered by Demosthenes in the twentieth century. (...) The scale of the present commentary (...) reflects not only the editor's interest in the legal questions raised by the speech, but deals with linguistic matters very thoroughly, and draws attention to rhetorical effects to a greater extent than most earlier commentaries on the orators. (...) Although the author does not intend the translation to be read independently of the text, it combines accuracy with readability (...). The Commentary is rich in new insights into historical and legal matters and the many specilised terms used in the speech, and deserves to become a major source of reference (...). Equally full and enlightening is the linguistic comment, aimed at readers of all levels and supplementing the translation where necessary. Stylistic matters too are treated with great sensitivity.' (S. USHER in The Classical Review (New Series), 1991, pp.28-29). From the library of the late Prof. W. Geoffrey Arnott. € 145.00 (Antiquarian)
- GOLVERS, N., (ed.), The 'Astronomia Europaea' of Ferdinand Verbiest (Dillingen, 1687). Text, Translation, Notes and Commentaries. Steyler Verlag, Nettetal, 1993. (Jointly published by Monumenta Serica Institute and Ferdinand Verbiest Foundation). 547p. Hard bound. Series: Monumenta Serica Monograph Series, XXVIII. (Rare). In his 'Astronomia Europaea', published 1687 in Dillingen, Ferdinand Verbiest (1623-1688), coryphée of the Jesuit Mission in China, describes concisely yet detailed how European astronomy, namely the European way to calculate the Chinese calendar and to predict lunar and solar eclipses, succeeded in resuming its former position after the persecution under the Oboi regency (1661-1669). In the second part, Verbiest reports on the achievements of the Jesuits in fourteen distinct mathematical and mechanical sciences (gnomonics, ballistics, hydragogics, mechanics, optics, catoptrics, perspective, statics, hydrostatics, hydraulics, pneumatics, music, horologic technology, meteorology) during the decisive decade, 1669-1679, when a strong base was laid for the revival and the flowering of the Jesuit Mission.This edition of the 'Astronomia Europaea' presents: a photostatic reprint of the rare original edition; an English translation, annotated from contemporary first-hand and mostly unpublished documents, situating this treatise in its Chinese context and explaining it against its European and particular Jesuit background. An extensive introduction describes its complex growth process and defines its relation to the previous astronomical treatises of the same author between 1669 and 1678, both in Chinese and in Latin, including the recently discovered Compendium Historicum and Mechanica. (Publisher's information). 'The book is without doubt a key source for research on the self-understanding of the Jesuit missionaries. ... Golvers’ work is of a high scholarly standard. It reproduces the full original text in Latin, presents a translation and extensive notes, not to mention the more than fifty pages of illustrations, a bi-bliography, and an index. The translator is a Latinist and treats his subject with all the exactness of a serious textual critic. He has even included a list of Latin neologisms.' (NICOLAS STANDAERT in China Review International). € 75.00 (Antiquarian)
- WEBER, Shirley H., Schliemann's First Visit to America. 1850-1851. Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Mass.), 1942. IX,111p. Half cloth. Gilt titled spine. Published for the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Series: Gennadeion Monographs II. Nice copy. (Rare). 'Among the copy-books, diaries, day-books, and letters of the late Henry Schliemann on deposit at the Gennadeion, not the least interesting and important is the account of his first trip to America in 1850-1851. It is contained in a thin volume of eighty pages, written in a fine calligraphic hand. At the beginning are some eight pages of autobiography which contain details of his life not reported elsewhere, and for that reason they are included here.' (Preface, p.V). 'It happened that in the beginning of 1842 there was in Amsterdam a celebrated calligraph of the name of Magnée from Brussels. Mr. Schröder kindly offered to pay the lessons for me if I wished to learn writing, to which I joyfully consented, and in 20 lessons I advanced so far that I could make myself useful as copying-clerk. I then took lessons in German language, which I learnt to speak and write correctly, learnt then the Dutch language, afterwards the French, English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese languages. Meanwhile Mr. Schröder advanced me almost every month in his office, and in less than 2 years I became the first clerk in the house, got 'full power' and had already 15 clerks under me. The wet climate of Holland had a most favorable influence on my former pectoral disease, which soon disappeared entirely.' (H. SCHLIEMANN, p. VII of his diary, cited on p. 11). From the library of the late Prof. W. Geoffrey Arnott. € 75.00 (Antiquarian)
- ABBOTT À BECKETT, G., The Comic History of Rome. From the Founding of the City to the End of the Commonwealth. Bradbury and Evans, London, n.d. (1852?). XII,308p. ills. (10 colored steel engravings and 98 wood engravings). With engraved illustrated title page printed in red and black. Half leather. Gilt titled spine. Raised bands. Marbled edges (fading). Corners a little bit bumped and little bit worn. Leather on spine a bit scratched. Pages slightly yellowed. Pages opposite the color engravings a bit foxed. Endpapers a bit stained. Illustrated by J. Leech, (1817-64) humorous artist and illustrator, most famous for his work with Punch. The author, Gilbert Abbott a Beckett (1811-56) was a comic writer and police magistrate, who also wrote for Punch. € 175.00 (Antiquarian)
- HERODAS, Die Mimiamben. Herausgegeben und erklärt mit einem Anhang über den Dichter, die Überleiferung und den Dialekt von R. Meister. Bound together with: HERONDAS, Mimiamben. Eingeleitet, übersetzt und mit erklärenden Bemerkungen versehen von S. Mekler, with: J. GIRARD: Les Mimes Grecs, Théocrite, Herondas, with: Th. REINACH: Hérodas le mimographe, and with: O. IMMISCH: Ein classischer Findling aus Aegypten. Glued in: N.J. SINGELS: De Mimen van Herodas. Loosely inserted: P. GROENEBOOM: Adnotatiunculae ad Herodam. Hirzel, Leipzig, 1893. pp.611-884. Offprint Abhandlungen der philologisch-historischen Classe der königlich sächsischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften / Carl Konegen, Wien, 1894. 66p. / Offprint Revue des Deux-Mondes. 1893, tome 116, pp. 63-99 / Offprint Revue des Deux-Mondes. 1891, pp.209-232; essay in: Blätter für literarische Unterhaltung, 1892, nr.7 / Offprint De Gids, 1896, no.8. / Offprint Mnemosyne, vol.41 (1913), 9p. Halfcloth. Gilt titled spine. (All items rare). R. Meister (1848-1912) was a German classical scholar. He was a teacher at the Nikolai Gymnasium in Leipzig from 1872, where in 1892 he was given the title of professor. € 85.00 (Antiquarian)
- NICANDER, The Poems and Poetical Fragments. Edited with a Translation and Notes by A.S.F. Gow and A.F. Scholfield. Cambridge at the University Press, London / New York, 1953. XII,247p. Cloth wrps. Upperpart wrps damaged. Signature and date on free endpaper. 'The editors' aim is 'to provide would-be readers with a text, and with first-aid in reading it'; but they do not claim to provide more than first-aid (preface, p.XI). No sensible reader will complain of this. (…) Much of the value of this excellent book must lie in its contribution to the identification of the kinds of beasts and plants mentioned by Nicander. (…) Much valuable material has been collected by the editors and the many experts who have helped them.' (HUGH LLOYD JONES in The Classical Review (New Series), 1954, pp.231-233). From the library of the late Prof. W. Geoffrey Arnott. € 95.00 (Antiquarian)
- FRAENKEL, E., Elementi Plautini in Plauto. (Plautinisches im Plauto). La Nuova Italia, Firenze, 1960. XI,465p. Cloth. Spine discoloured. Corners slightly worn. Traduzione di Franco Munari. Edizione Italiana, ampliata con alcune nuove ricerche. 'Eduard Fraenkel's 1922 study of Plautine language is the single most important work on Roman comedy that modern scholarship has produced. Building on the foundations of nineteenth-century German criticism, and in particular F. Leo's 'Plautinische Forschungen zur Kritik und Geschichte der Komödie (...), F.'s bold and aggressive argumentation has served as a basis for all modern criticism of the author. By seeking to isolate the specific contribution of Plautus to the plays, reversing the concern about the nature of the Greek originals, F. inaugurated an approach that has played itself out in a variety of ways over the past 85 years. The Italian translation (...) included addenda that registered some changes of opinion and some new views, but did not engage with the significant discoveries of fragments of Menander in the 1950s.' (C.W. MARSHALL on he English translation in The Classical Review, 2008, p.110). From the library of the late Prof. W. Geoffrey Arnott. € 95.00 (Antiquarian)
- MARTIAL, (MARTIALIS), Book XIII. The Xenia. Text with introduction and commentary by T.J. Leary. Duckworth, London, 2001. XIII,209p. Bound wrps. (Rare). 'To sum up: L. has provided us with a commentary that is always clear or at least as lucid as one can expect it to be, when dealing with a collection that often eludes its modern readers or leaves them in the lurch. Where there are competing interpretive attempts in previous scholarship, L. plainly discusses their pros and cons and contributes a great deal of insight and original thought. 'Realien' and language, which have the greatest share in this book, are truly the strongest side of the commentary. On the other hand, the collection we are dealing with is a highly sophisticated and complex product of literature, some aspects of which L. explores in greater detail, whereas others have been neglected or underestimated by him. At any rate, this book certainly is a stepping-stone for future work on this challenging corpus of epigrams. (FAROUK F. GREWING in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2002.08.38). € 110.00 (Antiquarian)
- BALDRINI, S., a.o., (eds.), Filologia e forme letterarie. Studi offerti a Fr. della Corte. Universita degli Studi di Urbino, Urbino, 1987. 5 vols. 485,545,432,422,677p. Sewn. Cover a little bit creased. (Rare). A.o.: Vol.I: M.G. BONANNO: Metafore redivive e nomi parlanti (sui modi del 'Witz' in Aristofane (pp.213-299); W. GEOFFREY ARNOTT: The Stream and the Gold. Two notes on Theocritus (pp.335-347). Vol.II: H.D. JOCELYN: Studies in the Indirect Tradition of Plautus' 'Pseudolus' (pp.57-73); L. CANFORA: Per la storia del testo di Sallustio (pp.377-399); M. OGAWA: Virgil and the Muses of Helicon: on the Proem of the third Georgic (pp.439-457). Vol.III: W. GÖRLER: 'Laudabunt alii... ' Zur Funktion einer wenig beachteten Redefigur (pp.25-47);P. GRIMAL: Ovide et Properce. Notes au livre III de l' 'Ars amatoria (pp.189-201); Ch. SEGAL: Image and action in Seneca's 'Phaedra'. Five motifs (pp.341-359). Vol.IV: J.F. HEALY: The Language and Style of Pliny the Elder (pp.3-25); S. TIMPANARO: Sulla composizione e la tecnica narrativa dell' 'Ephemeris' di Ditti-Settimo (pp.169-217); J. VEREMANS: Le mot pyrrhique au biforme III de l'hexamètre latin. Essai de métrique verbale (pp.365-389). Vol.V: V. RECCHIA: 'Similitudo' e metafora nel commento di Agostino e Gregorio Magna alla pesca miraculosa: Io. 21, 1-14 (pp.241-263); M. von ALBRECHT: Montaigne und Seneca (pp.543-561). From the library of the late Prof. W. Geoffrey Arnott. € 175.00 (Antiquarian)
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SCHLIEMANN, H., Ilios. The City and Country of the Trojans: The Results of Researches and Discoveries on the Site of Troy and throughout the Troad in the Years 1871-72-73-78-79. Including an Autobiography of the Author. With a Preface, Appendices, and Notes by R. Virchow, M. Müller, A.H. Sayce, J.P. Mahaffy, H. Brugsch-Bey, P. Ascherson, M.A. Postolaccas, M.E. Burnouf, F. Calvert, and A.J. Duffield. With Maps, Plans, and about 1800 Illustrations. John Murray, London, 1880. XVI,800p. Frontispiece, 6 folding plates. 32p.with lithographs: Specimens of whorls, etc. dug up at Troy. Original blue gold embossed cover. Floral decorated endpapers. Ex libris J. Cresswell glued on paste-down endpaper. Letter from H. Schliemann to Mr Cooke, dated, Athens, 9 December 1880, glued on inside frontispiece. Head and tail spine very slightly worn (some nicks). Corners very slightly bumped. Plan III a bit falsly folded. Very attractive copy. Mr Cooke was a cousin of the Murray's and part of the firm. Text of the letter: Athens, 9 Decbr. 1880. 'My dear Mr Cooke Your kind letter of 10th ult. has filled me with joy and pride: in fact no tidings could have been more agreable to me. The book itself has now arrived. Really you have done wonders in the outfit of the volume. Nay, every one writes me, even from England, he never saw a more gorgeous work. And as to the contents, Max Müller, Fergusson, Mahaffy, and hundred others overwhelm it with praise. Now, be certain this edition will speedily be sold out and we shall have a new one next year. If you think it proper, pray, send on my acct. a copy of Ilios to Mr Doble* the editor of the Academy. But, before anything else, pray, present in my name a copy of Ilios to your amiable sister. Pray, forward the copy for Rio de Janeiro at once in any manner you may think proper; I think by the parcels express it will be the best to forward it. On the copies for Turkey, pray, prepay the postage to my debet. With the kindest regards to you and your sister in which Mrs Schliemann joins me. Yours very truly H. Schliemann.' (* Mr Doble was editor of 'The Academy', 1878-1880). From the library of the late Prof. W. Geoffrey Arnott. € 2750.00 (Antiquarian)
- HERMMAN, J., and E. MAAß, (eds.), Die Korrespondenz zwischen Heinrich Schliemann und Rudolf Virchow 1876-1890. Bearbeitet und herausgegeben in Zusammenarbeit mit Chr. Andree und L. Hallof. Akademie Verlag, Berlin, 1990. 617p. ills. Cloth wrps. (Rare). 'Rudolf Virchow (1821-1902) won deserved fame as a pathologist (his work on cells was fundamental, and he identified the diseases of leukaemia and thrombosis), anthropologist, archaeologist and politician (he became a member of the Reichstag and a leading opponent of Bismarck). He corresponded with Heinrich Schliemann over the last fifteen years of the latter's life, writing a eulogistic preface for 'Ilios' (London, 1880). Their communications (letters, postcards, telegrams), preserved now in an archive at the 'Akademie der Wissenschaften', Berlin (461 itmes), and in the Gennadius Library, Athens (156 items), are published here in full for the first time (...). Great care has been taken to ensure accurate transcriptions of the 622 extant communications, whose subject-matter includes Schliemann's excavations at Troy, family concerns, journeys, and meetings of learned societies in Germany. Both men were vain, and their most serious quarrel arose from an alleged snub by Virchow at a meeting of the German Anthropological Society in Karlsruhe, august 1885. The letters consequent upon this make fascinating reading.' (W. GEOFFREY ARNOTT in The Classical Library, (New Series), 1992, pp.236-237). From the library of the late Prof. W. Geoffrey Arnott. € 165.00 (Antiquarian)
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