“ I am much obliged to you for the communication of the Deuxponts Catalogue of Greek & Latin books . . . I have their Plato which I like much. I wish they could be induced to print Diodorus Siculus & Dionysius Halicarnasseus in the same format. these are the only Greek authors of esteem which have never been printed but in large formats. there is indeed an Octavo edition of Diodorus printed at Basle. but it is of 5. books only out of 15. which remain, it is without a translation which is necessary for much the greater part of readers, and it is in an obsolete character, abounding with contractions now out of use, & little known. so that in fact it is worth nothing. Wesseling’s edition of Diodorus, and Hudson’s of Dionysius, exactly copied, but in Octavo format, would certainly meet with great success, the translation being printed on the same page with the original. perhaps if you were to suggest this to the printers of Deuxponts, they might think it worthy their attention . . . ”

The edition of 1539 was one of the books which Mrs. Paradise was commissioned by Jefferson to buy in the Pinelli sale in April, 1789. In a letter written to her from Paris on April 6, Jefferson “ takes the liberty of mentioning” that he “ will go to the price proposed in your letter for the Diodorus Siculus in 4to.” The price proposed was too low, and the lot, no. 7380, went to Lord Spencer for £1. 17. 0.

Both editions are listed in Jefferson’s undated manuscript catalogue, the former as an 8vo.:

Diodori Siculi libri 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. graece. 8 ^vo. Basiliae. 4. 10.

Diodorus Siculus. Latiné Rhodomanni. 8 ^vo 4.

Vincent Obsopoeus, d. 1540, German classical scholar, was a native of Franconia. He was the first editor of the Greek text of Diodorus Siculus.

Laurent Rhodomann, 1546-1606, German classical scholar. This is the first separate edition of his Latin translation of Diodorus. It had previously been printed, in 1604, with the Greek text of Obsopœus.

Lucy Ludwell Paradise, 1751-1814, was the daughter of the third Philip Ludwell of Green Spring near Williamsburg. She married John Paradise in London in 1769. She died in the Eastern State Hospital for the insane in 1814.

Maffeo Pinelli was a Venetian book collector. After his death his collections were sold to James Edwards of London and were shipped in three vessels. One of them was captured by pirates and the books were thrown into the sea. The remainder of the books were sold at auction by Edwards in 1789 for a total of £9,000.

Original calf, gilt line borders on sides, gilt backs. Initialled by Jefferson at sig. I and T in both volumes. With the Library of Congress 1815 bookplates.

Temple Stanyan, d. 1752, English classical scholar, dedicated this work to John, Lord Somers, Baron of Evesham. The Preface contains a critical account of the Greek, Roman, and some English historians. The first volume was originally published in 1707.