Publius Terentius Afer (C. 195 B.C.)—Roman dramatist
Full title, “Comoediae sex, tum ex Donati Commentariis, tum ex optimorum, praesertim veterum, exemplarium collation, diligentius quam uunquam antehac, emendatae”
Paris: Robert Estienne, 1541
Presentation inscription from Anatole France
Armorial bookplate of Henri Tardivi
Early 18th century mottle calf, gilt arms of Aubrey de Barneville on sides
Quarto; 245 mm x 175 mm

This edition of, “Comoediae sex, tum ex Donati Commentariis,” by ancient Roman dramatist Terence was published by Robert Estienne in Paris in 1541, with a later presentation inscription from celebrated French writer and critic Anatole France.

This edition has cracking along the hinges of the spine, wear to the exterior and minor losses to the cover. Edges bumped and rubbed. All edges gilt. Interior clean and sound.

Publius Terentius Afer (Terence) (Carthage, Tunisia ca. 195-? B.C.)

Terence is the author of six verse comedies, long regarded as models of pure Latin. Terence’s plays form the basis for much of what is the modern comedy. In his youth, Terence was taken to Rome as a slave by the Roman senator Terentius Lucanus, who gave him a liberal education and, eventually, his freedom. Scholars speculate that Terence died in Greece from illness or at sea by shipwreck.

Jacques-Anatole-François Thibault (Anatole France) (Paris, France 1844-1924 Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire)

A writer and a critic, Anatole France was the ideal Frenchman of letters. He was elected to the French Academy in 1896 and later awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1921. As the son of a bookseller, Anatole France spent much of his life in the company of books. His first poems were influenced by the Parnassian revival of classical tradition. In his text, he revealed a cynical, skeptical attitude about human conventions. Not so surprisingly, by the end of his life, his work became influenced by Communism.