HOMER. -- OGILBY, John (1600-1676), translator. His Iliads [bound with] His Odysses translated, adorn’d with sculpture, and illustrated with annotations. London: John Flesher, 1669.
2 volumes in one, large folio (394 x 244 mm). Title-pages printed in red and black, 74 engraved plates including the elaborate folding frontispiece by R. White after A.V. Diepenbeeck, woodcut historiated initials, head- and tail-pieces. (Frontispiece in vol. I shaved at outer margin and with a closed tear at gutter). Full contemporary paneled calf rolled in blind, gilt framing at edges, spine in 7 compartments with raised bands, gilt morocco lettering-piece in second, contemporary red edges (some general wear to binding, with joints starting to split, spine label a bit chipped, front free endpaper detached, single tiny wormhole at lower corner margin to every leaf of vol. II). (Some very occasional light spotting, else a bright copy). Provenance: Sir John Cope (1688-1760), armorial bookplate. Cope, a British soldier and Whig Member of Parliament, is now chiefly remembered for his defeat at Prestonpans, the first significant battle of the Jacobite rising of 1745; contemporary ownership marks on recto of frontispiece and title-page; later ownership stamp in Latin to upper corners of the front free endpaper and front flyleaf.
SECOND EDITION of Ogilby’s translation of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey containing an unusually large number of plates. Although there is much uncertainty as to the correct plate count of Ogilby’s Homer, this present set which does not contain the absolute maximum number of plates, is unusual for its relative completeness. ESTC R30336, R26806.