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    Pindaro ad Alessandria. Paideia Editrice, Brescia, 2004. 253p. Paperback. Series: Antichità classica e cristiana, 34. 'This is not a book that will increase one's understanding of Pindar. Rather, as the title suggests, it concentrates on the rationale adopted by Alexandrian scholars, especially Aristophanes of Byzantium, for the organisation of the four books of epinicians. Negri rejects Slater's assertion that Aristophanes was responsible only for cataloguing, not for editing, Pindar's odes (...) and rightly argues against a strict distinction between cataloguing and editing. After a thorough discussion of the possible rationale used by Aristorphanes for his edition of the epinicians, N. concludes that there were three primary criteria. The first was hierarchical, i.e. the prestige of the festivals, contests and victors, the second a combination of aethetic and artistic features, and the third an 'imprescindibile principio, la parola del poeta.'On pp. 44-118 we are provided with an exhaustive treatment of the ancient sources which deal with the origins and chronology of the four stephanic festivals, as well as several local games. The lack of agreement among these sources leads to the conclusion that chronology had nothing to do with the order adopted by Aristophanes - Olympian, Pythian, Isthmian, Nemean. It was simply a matter of prestige. (...). I can only emphasise that those interested in the editorial practices of Alexandrian (and post-Alexandrian) scholars will profit from N.'s thorough and well-reasoned account. As is to be expected, much attention is paid to the scholia; these, as well as other citations in Greek, are accompanied by a translation.' (DOUGLAS E. GERBER in The Classical Review (New Series), 2006, pp.11-12). From the library of Prof. Carl Deroux. (Antiquarian)  (approx. delivery time: undeliverable) ISBN: 9788839406897

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