‎GAIL,J.B. ‎
‎Idylles de Bion et de Moschus, traduites en Français par J.B. Gail. professeur de Littérature grecque au Collège de France. (And 2:) Odes, inscriptions, épitaphes, épithalames et fragments d'Anacréon. Avec des notes critques et un discours préliminaire par le c(itoy)en Gail. (And 3:) Républiques de Sparte et d'Athènes. Traduites de Xénophon, par J.-B. Gail. (And 4:) Manuel d'Épictete et tableau de Cébès en grec, avec une traduction française, précédée d'un discours contre la Morale de Zénon et contre le Suicide, avec des idées d'une morale plus pure. Par Lefebvre Villebrune. Tome 1 & 2. (And 5:) Hymnes de Callimaque, nouvelle édition. Avec une version française et des notes par J.F.G. de la Porte Du Theil. 1re & 2me partie. (And 6:) Mythologie dramatique. Traduite de grec de Lucien par J.-B. Gail. Tome 1: Les dialogues des Dieux. (&) Mythologie dramatique. Tome 2: Les Dieux marins et Le coq. Tome 3: Les dialogues des morts et Les contemplateurs. ‎

‎Paris, Didot Jeune, Chez J.B. Gail, An III (1794/95). ‎

Reference : 120445

‎12mo. 6 parts in 10 volumes: (ad 1:) 106,(2) p., 2 engraved plates, including a portrait of Gail. (ad 2:) (IV),XX,74,(4) p., 4 plates. (ad 3:) 2,107 p. (ad 4:) 2 volumes: IV,261,(3 blank); (IV),132 p.; (ad 5:) (II),104;142,(1),(1 blank) p. (ad 6:) (IV),VIII,105,(1 blank); (IV),111,(1 blank); (IV),178 p., 5 plates. Mottled calf 13 cm (Ref: Ad 1: Hoffmann 1,426; Ebert 2429; Graesse 1,428; Brunet 1,950. Ad 2: Hoffmann 1,141; cf Ebert 568; Brunet 1,255. Ad 3: Hoffmann 3,604; Ebert 24146. Ad 4: Oldfather 278; Hoffmann 2,16; Brunet 2,1015; Ebert 6785; Graesse 2,484. Ad 5: Hoffmann 1,430; Graesse 2,18; Ebert 3356. Ad 6: cf. Hoffmann 2,561; Brunet 3,1213; cf. Graesse 4,264; Ebert 12407) (Details: Backs gilt, and with a red or brown morocco shield on the second 'compartment'. On a shield in the middle 'compartment' the gilt numbers: 1 to 10. Boards with triple fillet gilt borders. Edges of the boards and the book-block gilt. Inside dentelles gilt. Endpapers blue marbled. The portrait and plates are engraved by Barbier, Chaudet et alii. Only the 4 volumes dedicated to Epictetus and Callimachus offer a Greek text with a facing French translation, the other volumes have a French translation only. We found in the catalogue of the library of the important Dutch statesman Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck, 1761-1825, which is preserved in the mansion Nijenhuis at Diepenheim, an identical set, same title, same publisher, same duodecimo (12mo) format, published in 1794/95, with the same numbering on the back, and, as far as we can judge from the description in the catalogue, the same binding. We suppose that the publishers Didot and Gail or another bookseller composed several portable sets in a nice binding for educated and well to do gentlemen and women, who probably were not able to read the original texts) (Condition: Bindings slightly worn & scratched. Head of the spines of volume 1 & 2 slightly chafed. Some corners somewhat bumped. Excellent paper. Some faint foxing. A charming set) (Note: At the end of volume 7, the second volume of the Callimachus, there is an advertisement for a collection of 10 titles to be sold as a unit at the price of 300 livres. The publisher and editor of the 10 volumes is Monsieur J.B. Gail. The collection consists of works Gail translated himself, i.e. Bion & Moschus, Lucianus, Xenophon, Anacreon (6 volumes); the other 4 volumes were translated by others, he tells in the advertisement, the two volume sets of Callimachus and of Epictetus. The translator of Callimachus is J.F.G. de la Porte Du Theil, the translator of Epictetus is Lefebvre de Villebrune. (See for the assignment of this Epictetus to the collection of Greek authors of Gail: F. Schoell, 'Répertoire de littérature ancienne, ou choix d'auteurs classiques grecs et latins', Paris 1808, Tome I, p. 51) Jean Baptiste Gail, 1755-1829, was a celebrated French Hellenist. 'In 1791 he was appointed deputy, and in 1792 titular professor at the 'Collège de France'. During the Revolution he quietly performed his professional duties, taking no part in politics, although he possessed the faculty of ingratiating himself with those in authority. In 1815 he was appointed by the King Keeper of Greek MSS. (...) Without being a great Greek scholar, Gail was a man of unwearied industry, whose whole life was devoted to his favourite studies, and he deserves every credit for having rescued Greek from the neglect into which it had fallen during the troublous times in which he lived'. (Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911, vol. 11, p. 387) His most valuable work were his French translations and his editions of Greek authors. He published also editions of Thucydides and Herodotus) Epictetus' Enchiridium and the 'Tabula Cebetis' in this series were produced by the French sholar and translator Jean-Baptiste Lefebvre de Villebrune, 1732-1809. He was professor of Hebrew at the 'Collège de France' from 1791 to 1794, and librarian of the 'Bibliothèque de la Nation' in 1794/95. He was a polyglot who translated from Latin, Spanish, Italian, English, German, Swedish, and Greek. His best known translation is that of the Greek compiler Athenaeus, 'Banquet des Savans', 1789-1791, 5 volumes. (See his French lemma in Wikipedia) In 1782 Lefebvre de Villebrune had already published a Greek text of the Enchiridium, and a year later a Greek text accompanied by a French translation, and some critical notes. His edition was completely eclipsed by the Epictetus edition of the German scholar Schweighaeuser, which was published a few year later in 1798 and which was the starting point of a new era of Epictetus scholarship. In the eyes of Schweighaeuser Lefebvre de Villebrune was an incompentent and sloppy scholar. The first volume of this Epictetus set of two contains the Greek text of the Enchiridium, with an opposing French translation, an introduction of 100 p. and 70 p. notes. The second volume contains a Greek text of the 'Tabula Cebetis', also with an opposing French translation, an introduction of 19 p., and notes on 30 pages) (Photographs on request) ‎