A History of Greek Philosophy
Cambridge: At the University Press [Cambridge University Press], 1967. Hardcover. Six volumes (complete), large octavo size, approx. 3300 total pp. Fine / very good +. Item #CNJL2412
William Keith Chambers Guthrie (1906-1981) was a classical scholar whose proficiency in Latin was such that he was "called upon to deliver Latin encomia in honour of such dignitaries as Winston Churchill...Nehru, Dwight D. Eisenhower" and more (n.b., quote and info from Wiki). A professor at the University of Cambridge he was master of Downing College for fifteen years.
This set, "A History of Greek Philosophy" came into being as a result of the Cambridge University Press approaching Guthrie; it would become his magnum opus and he would spend the years between 1962 and his death in 1981 in the work required to publish these six volumes. More work remained but these was no one to pick up the baton, and therefore, these six volumes are all that were published.
The set is comprised of the following: Vol. I, "The Earlier Presocratics and The Pythagoreans", Vol. II, "The Presocatric Tradition from Parmenides to Democritus", Vol. III, "The Fifth-Century Enlightenment", Vol. IV, "Plato, The Man and His Dialogues, Earlier Period", Vol. V, "The Later Plato and the Academy", and Vol. VI, "Aristotle, An Encounter".
Although this set includes three first printings (volumes 3, 4, and 5) and three second or later printings (1, 2, and 6) there are, as of this writing, no other full sets available online.
___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full red cloth over boards, different gilt roundels on the front boards, gilt lettering on the spine with author and title within a blue stamped "label", the set a scholarly work with copius footnotes; large octavo size (9 1/4" by 6 1/4"), pagination: Vol. I, [i-iv] v-xv [1 blank] 1-539; Vol. II, [i-vi] vii-xix [1 blank] 1-554; Vol. III, [i-vi] vii-xvi [1-2] 3-544; Vol. IV, [i-iv] v-xviii, 1-603; Vol. V, [i-iv] v-xvi, 1-539; and Vol. VI, [i-iv] v-xvi, 1-456. In dust jackets of red with black and white lettering and white rules, summaries of the volumes on the flaps.
___CONDITION: Volumes overall fine, with clean boards, straight corners without rubbing, strong, square text blocks with solid hinges, the interiors are clean and bright, and the set is entirely free of prior owner markings; exceptions to this we note include: in Vol. II a slight vertical indentation to the back board; to Vol. V a very shallow dent to the fore-edge of the front board, a vintage bookseller ticket on the front pastedown with a very small corresponding red inked stamp to the rear pastedown; and in the last guttar of Vol. VI a narrow metallic strip (presumably an anti-theft deterrent of the day).
In dust jackets that, for most volumes, are very good to near fine; clean, entire, with minor overall edgwear, a few volumes with an old hand-written price on the flaps and a few with light sunning: specific exceptions we note are: the jacket for Vol. I is good plus, all component parts present and attached but with edgewear most noticeable at the head of the spine including a short closed tear and slight loss to the paper (not affecting the lettering) and a few closed tears at the bottom of the front panel (the longest one-half inch), light overall soiling, and some rippling to the front panel (not damp); the jacket for Vol. IV with a bit more wear to the head of the spine and light soil to the top of the rear panel; and the jacket for Vol. VI with a short (one-half inch) closed tear at the top of the front panel with concomitant creasing.
___POSTAGE: Please note that this is a heavy set and additional postage may apply; please inquire for details.
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Price: $500.00