Seneca’s Morals by Way of Abstract – Sir Roger L’Estrange – Edinburgh, Gavin Alston, 1774

Lucius Annaeus Seneca; Sir Roger L?Estrange

Publication Date: 1774

About this Item

Author: Seneca, Lucius Annaeus; Sir Roger L?Estrange

Title: Seneca?s Morals, by Way of Abstract. To which is added, a Discourse under the title of An After-Thought. By Sir Roger L?Estrange, Knt. A New Edition.

Publication Details: Edinburgh: Printed by Gavin Alston, MDCCLXXIV [1774]. A New Edition. 405 pages. The bibliographical record confirms this exact Gavin Alston edition and pagination; ESTC T134874.

Description: An attractive 1774 Edinburgh edition of Sir Roger L?Estrange?s long-popular rendering and arrangement of the moral writings of the Roman Stoic philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca. The work distils Seneca?s writings on benefits, virtue, happiness, anger, adversity, providence, human conduct and the proper ordering of life.

The title page is enclosed within an attractive typographical and ornamental border and identifies the volume as ?A New Edition,? printed in Edinburgh by Gavin Alston in 1774. An early ink ownership inscription, ?James Alston?, appears on the title page.

Binding: Contemporary full brown calf, with five raised bands to the spine and a red morocco lettering piece titled ?SENECA?S MORALS? in gilt. Remnants of gilt decoration/ruling remain around the lettering piece and bands. Plain calf boards with rounded corners.

Condition: Good. A sound and appealing eighteenth-century copy in its contemporary calf binding. The binding is tight and firm, with the text block securely held. The calf shows expected rubbing, scuffing and surface wear from approximately 250 years of use, with heavier wear and some loss at the head of the spine and rubbing to the board edges and corners. The spine label remains present and clearly legible, with surviving gilt decoration.

The boards show general surface rubbing, marking and variations in colour consistent with age. Internally, the pages show moderate age-toning and occasional spotting and marking, but the title page remains particularly clean and attractive. Early ownership inscription to title page. Overall a firmly bound and pleasing copy retaining considerable period character.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1788007761094

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Seneca?s Morals by Way of Abstract ? Sir Roger L?Estrange ? Edinburgh, Gavin Alston, 1774
• Publication Date: 1774
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Good