Beschreibung
Contains 3 Spanish stories and a play translated into English by John Stevens. The Spanish works are attributed to Francesco Lopez de Ubeda and Andres Perez de Leon, Fernanso Rojas, Gonzales and Juan de Avila. Full calf leather binding with gilt lettering to spine. The first edition of this scarce and important work. John Stevens (c.1662 1726), was a translator and antiquary. He settled in London in 1695 to make a living as a professional writer, putting his command of Spanish and Portuguese to practical, though not lucrative, use. Over the next thirty years he published over twenty translations, mainly from the Spanish, in addition to histories of Spain and Portugal and a painstakingly researched Spanish dictionary. He satisfied the contemporary taste for books of travel by making available some of the classics of the conquista: accounts written from an Iberian, rather than an English point of view. Though self-deprecating about his literary style, he produced a lively and successful translation of Quevedo's comic satires. He preferred fact to fiction, and required a tale to carry a moral. The austere and devout Quevedo, champion of absolute monarchy, was his favourite writer, and in 1709 he recruited him to the Tory cause by translating two of his political works in defence of Dr Henry Sacheverell. In a full calf binding. There is some wear to the extremities, particularly to the spine which is chipped, and to the front board which is damaged with loss of leather. The corners are bumped and the boards are also rubbed in places. There is an ownership plate to the front pastedown. The front board is detached but present, and the rear inner hinge is strained. The binding is firm and the rear board is attached, though by the cords only. Internally the book is bright apart from some occasional spotting and handling marks. There are also some water marks affecting the beginning of the book in particular. Good Only. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers LTH4-E-3
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