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A New System; or, An Analysis of Antient Mythology: Wherein an Attempt is Made to Divest Tradition of Fable; and to Reduce the Truth to Its Original Purity, by Jacob Bryant, Esq. The Third Edition. In Six Volumes. With a Portrait and Some Account of the Author; A Vindication of the Apamean Medal; Observations and Inquiries relating to various Parts of Antient History; A Complete Index, and Forty-One Plates, Neatly Engraved. Vol. IV.
London: Printed for J. Walker; W. J. and J. Richardson; R. Faulder and Son; R. Lea; J. Nunn; Cuthell and Martin; H. D. Symonds; Vernor, Hood, and Sharpe; E. Jeffery; Lackington, Allen, and Co.; J. Booker; Black, Parry, and Kingsbury; J. Asperne; J. Murray; and J. Harris, 1807. Third edition. Hardcover, octavo (approximately 9 x 5.5 inches), [ii], 562 pages, plus index and plates.
This is Volume IV only of the esteemed six-volume third edition of Jacob Bryant?s influential work on ancient mythology, first published in the 1770s and expanded here. Bryant, a noted 18th-century antiquarian and mythographer, employs a euhemeristic approach to reinterpret classical myths as distorted historical truths rooted in biblical narratives, particularly post-Deluge migrations and events from Genesis. This volume delves into topics such as the migrations and dispersions of nations, the Titanian War, analyses of ancient provinces like Aram, Arphaxad, and Elam, and connections between pagan deities and biblical figures. It includes scholarly discussions on geography, etymology, and history, with references to sources like Dionysius Periegetes, Eusebius, Syncellus, and the Paschal Chronicle. Greek and Latin quotations abound, with footnotes providing deeper insights.
The volume features several engraved fold-out plates (maps and illustrations), including:
? A Map of some of the first inhabited Provinces (Plate XXX)
? The Theatre of the Titanian War (Plate XXXI)
? Map of the Ancient Nile Delta (Plate XXXII)
The text is clean and unmarked, with no writing, inscriptions, or marginalia. Pages show uniform age-toning (yellowing) typical of 19th-century paper, but remain supple and free of foxing, tears, or significant brittleness. The interior is tightly bound, with all plates present and intact, folding neatly without creases or damage.
Bound in contemporary full calf leather with gilt decorative bands and floral motifs on the spine, title label reading ?Bryant?s Antient Mythology 4? in gilt. The binding shows expected age wear: rubbing to edges, corners bumped, spine with some cracking and fading. Notably, the front cover board is fully detached at the hinge, along with the front endpapers (marbled, with a bookseller?s label from George Gregory, Bookseller to Her Majesty Queen Alexandra, 5 Argyle Street, Bath?adding provenance from ca. 1901-1910). Rear board and endpapers remain firmly attached. No other structural issues; the book block is solid.
Overall, this is a good reading or research copy of a scarce antiquarian title, ideal for collectors of mythology, biblical scholarship, or 19th-century bindings. Despite the detached front board (easily repairable by a binder), the content is in very good condition for its age.
Seller Inventory # ABE-1773546514995
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