Thoreau's Homer

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Urdatorn
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Thoreau's Homer

Post by Urdatorn »

Dear all,

what initially inspired me to learn Greek was reading Thoreau. After all, what youngster can withstand his imperative that every real man ought to spend a couple of his best years learning a dead language?

I am interested in knowing what edition of Homer it could have been that he had with him at Walden in 1845-47 (turning the page once a week!). What would have been the Homer most readily available at Harvard library in those days? My knowledge of old English editions does not go back further than Leaf's 1886 edition. (I am not a scholar of Thoreau, so the answer might of course, unbeknownst to me, already exist in some bibliographic monograph or other.)

Any more or less informed guesses are appreciated!

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jeidsath
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Re: Thoreau's Homer

Post by jeidsath »

I believe it would have been Felton's edition: https://books.google.com/books?id=3IkNAAAAYAAJ

EDIT: See page 24 here which mentions some other editions. Thoreau took Greek Composition from Felton as a Junior.
“One might get one’s Greek from the very lips of Homer and Plato." "In which case they would certainly plough you for the Little-go. The German scholars have improved Greek so much.”

Joel Eidsath -- jeidsath@gmail.com

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