Den Vitberømte oc Nafnkundige Philosophi eller Viszdoms-Elskeris Skrifter...Nu paavoris danske Maal oversat...

Den Vitberømte oc Nafnkundige Philosophi eller Viszdoms-Elskeris Skrifter...Nu paavoris danske Maal oversat...

Sorø [Denmark] : Georg Hantsch, 1658.

1 volume ;

This is a PRELIMINARY RECORD. It may contain incorrect information. Please email catalog@folger.edu for assistance.

Denmark -- Sorø, -- publication place.

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From dealer's description: "THE FIRST PRINTED PIECE OF FEMINISM IN DENMARK SENECA, L.A. Den Vitberømte oc Nafnkundige Philosophi eller Viszdoms-Elskeris Skrifter...Nu paavoris danske Maal oversat...(af Birgitte Thott). Sorøe, Georg Hantsch, 1658. Folio. lidt senere helpergamentsbind med blindtrykte rammer (delvist indfarvet i sort) påpermer og sorte stregdekorationer på ryg. Sort blindtrykt super-ex-libris på permer. Øvre delaf ryg restaureret med nyere pergament og med senere forgyldt skindtitel. Let slid og enkelterevner i nedre kapitæl. Bind lidt slidt og med nogle pletter (fortrinsvis på bagpermen). Heltguldsnit. Kobberstukket frontispiece. (41), 183, (2), 324, (1), 374, (2) pp. Stort udfoldeligtkobberstukket portræt af Birgitte Thott, stukket af Haelwegh efter maleri af Wuchters.Gennemgående et særdeles rent eksemplar trykt på godt papir. Med Thore Virgins navnetrækpå indersiden af forpermen (dateret). Folio. A little later full vellum with blindstamped line-frames (partly coloured black) to boardsand black line-decorations to spine. Black blindstamped super ex-libris to centre of boards.Upper part of spine restored with newer vellumand with a new gilt leather title-label. A fewtears to lower capital. Binding generally with a bit of wear and with some brown spots, mostlyto back board. All edges gilt. Engraved frontispiece; (41), 183, (2), 324, (1), 374, (2) pp. Large, folded engraved portrait of Birgitte Thott, engraved by Haelwegh, after a paintling byWuchters. An unusually well preserved, clean,. and crisp copy, printed on good paper. Withthe ownership-signature of Thore Virgin to inside of front board. First edition of the groundbreaking first translation of Seneca into Danish - being the first completetranslation of a classical author in Danish, the first proper translation of a classical work intoDanish, and the first printed piece of feminism in Denmark. This magnificent work was done by the great Birgitte (also known as Bridge Thott (1610-1662), whois famous world-wide, not only for being arguably the most important translator of classical worksinto Danish, but also for being the first female translator in Danmark, the first Danish feminist andone of the first defenders of women's rights in Scandinavia. This, her magnum opus, her enormous 1.000-page translation of the Latin moral philosopherSeneca was the very first of its kind. Up until Thott's great work, the Danish population had nothingbut small pieces of clumsy translations of a few classical authors available in their mother tongue,and Thott's translations opened up a new era - it introduced a new cultural and religiousconversation to the Danish audience and actually altered the language significantly, introducingmany new words to Danish and greatly enriching the language. Together with Christian Pedersen'stranslation of the Bible and Anders Sørensen Vedel's translation of Saxo, Birgitte Thott's translationof Seneca came to define the Danish language from the 17th century and onwards. The work is magnificently printed and is also considered of monumental value from a book printingperspective. It is not only monumental in size and beautiful in type-setting, it is also equipped withwonderful woodcut initials, an engraved portrait of Birgitte Thott and a wonderful engravedfrontispiece. Birgitte Thott's name is actually not mentioned on the title-page, but she is shown asMinerva wearing a helmet at the top of the frontispiece. There are 12 laudatory poems in Latin,German, and Danish, clearly exposing Thott's importance among her contemporaries. The work isdedicated to "the praiseworthy woman" - being the woman in general - to all women, whoappreciate virtue, sense, and learning. Thott had a clear ambition with the work, namely to give women specifically, only very few of whichhad the opportunity to learn Latin, access to the thoughts of the great stoic author of the 1stcentury. Even if women are not exposed to learning other languages, they should have access toliterary works from other cultures via translation. She protested unambiguously against thedominating tendency of considering learning harmful for women and she demonstrated howignorance led to moral depravity. Thus, the present work is without doubt the most important workin the history of Danish feminism and constitutes the first printed piece of feminism in the country. Being one of the first defenders of Women's rights in Scandinavia, she was part of a rather small European network of learned women, including Christina Queen of Sweden, the French Marie le Jarsdu Gournay, the English Bathsua Makin, the Irish Dorothea Moore (in Ireland), and the Dutch AnnaMaria van Schurman (who wrote one of the laudatory letters for the Seneca-translation). With her present magnum opus, her monumental translation of Seneca, "Thott combined herclassical erudition and translation with a role as an active champion of women's rights" (RosieWyles et. Al. edt.: Women Classical Scholars..., pp. 75-76) and completely altered both classicalscholarship in Denmark, the view of women in Danish society, and the Danish language."

Ordered from Herman H. J. Lynge, D9736, 2024-04-05, NY Book Fair 2024.

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