Loebs with unusual qualities?

Greek Learning Greek
1

I’ve read many Loeb:s the past couple of years. Up until now I’ve become used to the common structure of a typical Loeb: there’s a short introduction, followed by the usual Greek/English split (or Latin), with the addition of minimal critical apparatus and footnotes.

Up until now I thought the typical Loeb, per the format above, was true for all Loeb:s. Imagine then my surprise when I started reading Loeb 228: Aristotle - Physics, Book 1-4, by Wicksteed/Cornford, and my comforting world view was turned upside down… Loeb 228 is wild. :slight_smile:

Every chapter and every book in this volume is interspersed with author commentary, where the author commentary has it’s special structure of sub-headings. To save space, this commentary (in English) is printed on both the Greek and the English side of the book, with the consequence that sub-sections of commentary must be read alternatively between pages, almost like how you read a cartoon by reading individual boxes top-left to bottom-right. This is very confusing until you realize how the layout works, but it’s a bit fun two in how seldom it is to read books in this way.

I really like this Loeb because it’s so unusual, so I was wondering if there are other Loebs that are atypical? Not just layout, but atypical in other ways.

2

Have you seen the old Loebs with white dust-jackets framed by red swastikas? I think it started before the Nazis, but I’ve seen reprints with the same dust-jacket into the 60s (I have a volume of Dio like this).

3

Apollodorus’ “Library” in two volumes is unusual for the extensive proportion of editorial commentary; the Babrius and Phaedrus volume for combining Latin and Greek texts; “Barlaam and Ioasaph” for the late date of its text.

4

Yes, I was going to mention Apollodorus. That’s J.G. “Golden Bough” Frazer, and it’s a goldmine.

5

Are any of these Loebs under discussion among the public domain ones at Loebulous? I have those, but regretably can’t afford any of the newer ones (print or otherwise).