Monday, July 13, 2015

The art of being very annoyed, very politely

Found -- this rather unusual author's notice in a copy of the 1885 edition of George Long's translation of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. It is printed where the frontispiece should be.  A little digging reveals the following.

The first edition of Long's translation was published in 1862.  By 1864 a pirated edition appeared by Ticknor & Fields, Boston.  Long's notice appeared first in the 1869 British 2nd edition published by Bell & Daldry, London, and was still appearing several printings later in 1885.
Long's consideration of a Confederate dedication to a pirated Union publication is an excellent example of being politely very rude, and his opening paragraph pure stoicism! [Submitted by P.Hatcher / Many thanks]

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3 comments:

  1. The publishing house was TicknOR & Fields of Boston, Massachusetts, namesake of the prestigious Ticknor Society, a book collecting fellowship on Beacon Hill.
    Sincerely,
    A loyal reader and pedantic Bostonian

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  2. Many thanks loyal reader. Will remedy that egregious error a-sap. N

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  3. Regarding the inscription: googling turns up an E.D. Mansfield who was "Assistant Master at Clifton College, Bristol, UK." in the 19th Century, and who co-authored a Primer of Greek Grammar which is apparently still in use (reprinted in 1977).

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