her place as arguably the foremost classical scholar of her day. Despite her literary feuds with fellow literary figures such as Antoine Houdar de la Motte and Thémiseul de Saint-Hyacinthe, and her differences with Alexander Pope, with whom she fundamentally disagreed on how best to approach translating Homer, she was held in extremely high regard by her contemporaries and even those with whom she fell out with “demonstrably regarded her as the eminent authority she deserved to be” (Weinbrot, p. 1). Her professional accomplishments and fine translations were referred to whenever an argument was made in favour of scholarly female education, and she is one of the “distinguished women” featured in Mary Hay’s Female Biography (1803). 2 works in 6 volumes, duodecimo (159 × 89 mm). Contemporary red morocco, spines with raised bands, green morocco labels, gilt floral decoration in compartments, covers triple gilt ruled with small flower tools at corners, gilt decoration to board edges and turn-ins, blue endpapers, edges gilt, blue silk bookmarkers. Engraved frontispiece to first vols. of both works by Antoine Coypel, Iliade with 25 engraved plates by Bernard Picart, printer’s device of the Imprimerie Royale to title pages, woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces. Contemporary 13-line French inscription to verso of front free endpaper in vol. I of the Iliade , including price indication of 3 1/2 louis and bibliographical information concerning this edition. Extremities a little rubbed, spines uniformly faded to brown, sides bright, inner hinges superficially cracked but sound, contents lightly browned, occasional foxing, small paper flaw at gutter of title page the Odyséé vol. III, otherwise internally crisp and clean. An excellent set of well-margined copies presenting handsomely in the period binding. ¶ Folger Collective on Early Women Critics, eds., Women Critics 1660–1820: An Anthology , 1995; H. D. Weinbrot, “Alexander Pope and Madame Dacier’s Homer”, Huntington Library Quarterly 62:1/2, 1999, pp. 1–23. £7,500 [157099]
87 HOMER; DACIER, Anne Lefèvre (trans.) L’Iliade [and] L’Odyséé. Paris: Rigaud, 1711–16 the first translation of homer by a woman First Dacier editions, in an elegant early 18th-century French binding; an exceptional set in having the full suite of plates by Picart, not issued in all copies of the Iliad . Since first publication, discerning bibliophiles have always sought out sets augmented by Picart’s fine suite of plates. Dacier’s celebrated translation into French of the Iliad , the first by a woman, is considered her “crowning achievement” (Folger, p. 34), alongside her equally successful translation of the Odyssey (1716). The three volumes also contain a 45-page life of Homer, copious explanatory notes, and extended prefaces in response to Homer’s critics; it cemented
People called it the bible of artificial intelligence, that nascent field at the intersection of computing, cognitive science, neuroscience, and psychology. Hofstadter’s account of computer programs that weren’t just capable but creative, his road map for uncovering the ‘secret software structures in our minds,’ launched an entire generation of eager young students into AI” (Somers). Octavo. Original brown cloth, spine lettered in gilt. With dust jacket. Numerous black and white illustrations and diagrams in text. A fine copy, jacket spine very slightly faded but otherwise remarkably bright, without the sunning typically seen. ¶ James Somers, “The Man Who Would Teach Machines to Think”, The Atlantic , November 2013, available online. £6,500 [151283]
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86 HOFSTADTER, Douglas R. Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid. New York: Ba sic Books, Inc., Publishers, 1979 “a book fully of the future”: geb inscribed and in superb condition First edition, pre-publication copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper, “To Jessie, with best wishes from Doug Hofstadter March 23, 1979”. Inscribed copies of this massively popular bible of artificial intelligence, published in April 1979, are genuinely uncommon. A cult classic, the work won American cognitive scientist Douglas Hofstadter (b. 1945), then 35 years old and a first-time author, the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-fiction and the National Book Award for Science Hardcover in 1980. “ GEB , as the book became known, was a sensation. Its success was catalyzed by Martin Gardner, a popular columnist for Scientific American , who very unusually devoted his space in the July 1979 issue to discussing one book – and wrote a glowing review. ‘Every few decades,’ Gardner began, ‘an unknown author brings out a book of such depth, clarity, range, wit, beauty and originality that it is recognized at once as a major literary event.’ The first American to earn a doctoral degree in computer science (then labeled ‘communication sciences’), John Holland, recalled that ‘the general response amongst people I know was that it was a wonderment.’ . . . GEB was not just an influential book, it was a book fully of the future.
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85 HILL, John. The British Herbal. London: printed for T. Osborne and J. Shipton; J. Hodges; J. Newbery; B. Collins; and S. Crowder and H. Woodgate, 1756 folio herbal with contemporary hand colour First edition of this handsome Georgian herbal, extensively illustrated, and with partial contemporary hand colouring. The British Herbal details many exotic species grown in Britain as well as indigenous ones. It was written for a popular readership with an interest in the medicinal and ornamental use of plants, and thereby gives an insight into mainstream and popular British botanical thought in the middle of the 18th century. The English apothecary John Hill (1716–1775) was an indefatigable author, publishing some 76 works, including 16 on plants. His use of the Linnaean system of classification helped introduce the system to England.
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Folio (417 × 258 mm). 20th-century panelled morocco to style, red morocco label, gilt in compartments. Housed in orange cloth slipcase. Frontispiece and 75 plates, of which 15 with contemporary hand colouring, some partially. A few peripheral repairs to engraved and letterpress title page and to dedication and terminal leaf, slight fraying to extremities of early leaves, slight running staining at bottom fore corner, some leave corners a little creased, a couple of old flowers inserted. A very good copy. ¶ ESTC T29713; B. Henrey. British Botanical and Horticultural literature before 1800 , 799 Nissen, 881 Roscoe, A229. £2,000 [159112]
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All items are fully described and photographed at peterharrington.co.uk
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