First edition of the first translation of Sappho by a woman, paired with her version of Anacreon, in a contemporary binding and complete with the often-lacking frontispiece. Prior to Dacier, Louise Labé in France and Gaspara Stampa in Italy published poetic imitations of Sappho, but Dacier was the first woman to translate the poems themselves into any modern language. The only daughter of the noted Hellenist Tanneguy Lefèvre, Anne Dacier (c.1654-1720) translated classical works from an early age, beginning with Callimachus and progressing to Anacreon and Sappho. "By choosing to translate Anacreon and Sappho into French, instead of presenting them with a Latin translation, as her father did, Anne Le Fèvre was seeking to introduce these two authors to a larger audience. That is indeed what she says in her preface to Anacreon, specifying that she is particularly thinking about women: 'By translating Anacreon into our language, I wanted to give ladies the pleasure of reading the most urbane and gallant Greek poet that we have'. One can suppose that was also the case of Sappho, since Anne so closely associated the two poets, as her father had before her" (Fabre-Serris, p. 86). The preface to Sappho is a fine example of Dacier's erudite work, including an extensive biographical note designed to "defend the moral reputation of Sappho, but without being explicit about the misconduct of which the poetess was accused. [Dacier] adds that 'one should not give weight to everything that has been written against [Sappho]. She surpassed in her knowledge, not only all women. but was far superior to the most excellent male poets'" (ibid.). Dacier is celebrated for her translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey, the first by a woman. She was held in extremely high regard by her contemporaries, and even those with whom she fell out with "demonstrably regarded her as the eminent authority she deserved to be" (Weinbrot, p. 1). Her professional accomplishments and fine translations were referred to whenever an argument was made in favour of scholarly female education, and she is one of the "distinguished women" featured in Mary Hay's Female Biography (1803). Jaqueline Fabre-Serris, "Anne Dacier (1681), Renée Vivien (1903). Or What Does it Mean for a Woman to Translate Sappho?", in Women Classical Scholars, 2016; H. D. Weinbrot, "Alexander Pope and Madame Dacier's Homer", Huntington Library Quarterly 62:1/2, 1999. Duodecimo (156 x 91 mm). Contemporary mottled calf, spine with raised bands, lettering, and floral decoration in gilt on compartments, edges sprinkled red and brown. Housed in a brown cloth flat-back box with brown leather label. Engraved frontispiece by Pierre Giffart, woodcut ornament to title page, floriated initials, elaborate woodcut head- and tailpieces. Early manuscript shelf marks to pastedowns, 19th-century ownership inscription of one J. Duval on front free endpaper. Early 18th-century ownership inscription "Seguret" on title page; this was perhaps Jean-François Séguret (b. 1697), Nîmes bibliophile and collector. Binding sometime highly polished, corners rubbed, front joint cracked, but firm, splits at ends of rear joint, foxing to outer leaves and occasionally to text, faint damp stain to upper margin of first half, otherwise clean. A very good copy in an attractive contemporary binding.
