Author: thedeadpoets

George Sandys’ 1632 publication Ovid’s Metamorphoses Englished, Mythologiz’d, and Represented in Figures was, at the time, only his most recent translation of Ovid’s epic. He first produced a shorter translation, only the first five books of Metamorphosis, in 1621 just before traveling to the Virginian colony of Jamestown (OED). Sandys was a prolific travel writer whose works were read by the likes of Francis Bacon, Michael Drayton, and John Milton, but perfecting his translations of Metamorphosis seemed to be a passion project for him.

Figure 1: George Sandys, courtesy of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

After the first illustrated translation of 1632, Sandys published a second illustrated version in 1640. John Legat published this edition in London as John Lichfield, the Oxford printer who published the 1632 edition, had passed away five years earlier in 1635 (OED Leonard Lichfield). The differences between the two illustrated editions are unclear, aside from a portrait accompanying the frontispiece (Figure 2). The latin inscriptions and Roman-style wreath on the subject’s head suggest the portrait depicts Ovid, the original author of Metamorphosis. Long after his death, various other versions of Sandys’ Metamorphosis translations would be published. Not all were expanded editions of the illustrated versions—many were different versions of his earlier English translations. This was likely an economic decision, as illustrated books were considerably more expensive to produce.

Figure 2: Portrait of Ovid alongside the frontispiece in the 1640 illustrated edition. Courtesy of Early English Books Online, scanned reproduction courtesy of The Huntington Library.

It is difficult to determine the true worth of a copy of Ovid’s Metamorphoses Englished, Mythologiz’d, and Represented in Figures, such as the one held in the Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections. Dickinson’s copy has extreme wear on the back cover, which would diminish its worth. Another copy of the same 1632 illustrated edition is listed online for $3,500 by Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Manuscripts (LINK). The description provided by the seller indicates slightly less damage to the binding, but similar levels of preservation to the Dickinson copy. However, it would be difficult to determine if the books were truly of a similar condition and therefore of similar value without comparing them side by side. Interestingly, a copy of the 1640 second illustrated edition of the book is listed for $9,500 by Liber Antiques (LINK). This difference in price begs questioning, but it is unclear why the two editions are valued so differently. It could be due to the conditions of the individual copies, or perhaps the second illustrated edition had fewer copies printed and is therefore more rare, but there is no way to be certain without a professional appraisal. Whatever the factor is, it is unlikely that the illustrations themselves contribute to the value. Copies of Sandys’ 1626 translation—not illustrated—can be found online ranging in price from $7,800-$9,000. While surprising, this indicates that the illustrations have little, if any, bearing on the worth of the book.

Discerning the actual fate of the Dickinson College Archives’ copy before it arrived in Carlisle proves a more daunting task. There are not many physical clues as to who owned the book over the years and how it was used aside from a few inscriptions in ink on the title page (See Figure 3).

Figure 3: Title page with handwritten inscriptions at the top of the page.

The phrase “Thomas Chadwick’s Book” can be made out alongside the year “1780.” About an inch to the right, the year “1730” is written. Other marginalia on the page, clearly from another time given the variations in handwriting and ink color, is illegible. The writing tells us that a man named Thomas Chadwick once owned this book. Perhaps he acquired it in 1780, or that was just the year he chose to claim ownership of it in writing. No results come up for Thomas Chadwick in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, so it is probable that Mr. Chadwick was by all accounts a regular man who enjoyed classical literature. There are no other identifying marks indicative of other previous owners of the Dickinson copy of Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

While there seems to be scant information on the physical copies of the 1632 illustrated edition Ovid’s Metamorphoses Englished, Mythologiz’d, and Represented in Figures and its subsequent editions, the text itself continues to enjoy longevity. Sandys’ edited translation of Metamorphosis is still printed and sold today. In 1970, the University of Nebraska Press reprinted the original text. That version can be found on eBay for a few hundred dollars. A 2010 reprint by Kessinger Publishing is currently on sale on Amazon, for $54.60 instead of $59.95 (LINK). The single rating on Amazon, titled “The best translation of Ovid’s Metamorphosis” indicates a very happy customer. Also in recent years, faculty at the University of Virginia have digitized the 1632 illustrated edition as an etext for free use. It includes each image with corresponding hyperlinks to the text of each individual book of Metamorphosis and The Aeneid (Sandys’ Ovid 1632 (Linked Table of Contents)–Ovid Illustrated, University of Virginia Electronic Text Center). English professor Daniel Kinney directed the project, which provides online versions of a multitude of different translations and editions of Metamorphosis over the centuries, not just Sandys’ various translations. It tracks the history of reproductions of Ovid’s work, starting in the medieval period before the invention of the printing press. Although nothing beats the holding the real thing in your hands, Kinney and his colleagues’ digitization of Ovid’s Metamorphoses Englished, Mythologiz’d, and Represented in Figures is a good stand-in to view Sandys’ magnificent, celebrated edition of one of history’s greatest epics.  

Works Consulted

Ellison, James. “Sandys, George (1578–1644), writer and traveller.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  January 03, 2008. Oxford University Press. 

Frequently Asked Questions | ABAA. https://www.abaa.org/about-antiquarian-books/faq. 

Roberts, R. Julian. “Lichfield, Leonard (bap. 1604, d. 1657), printer.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  September 23, 2004. Oxford University Press.

Sandys’ Ovid 1632 (Linked Table of Contents)–Ovid Illustrated, University of Virginia Electronic Text Center. https://ovid.lib.virginia.edu/sandys/contents.htm.

Additional Links

Listing of illustrated 1632 edition by Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Manuscripts:

https://www.pirages.com/pages/books/ST17496-030/mythology-ovid/ovids-metamorphosis-englished-mythologizd-and-represented-in-figures

Listing of 1640 illustrated edition by Liber Antiques:

https://www.liberantiquus.com/pages/books/4781/ovid-george-sandys-abraham-van-diepenbeeck-artist-publius-ovidius-naso-43-bce-17-ce/ovid-s-metamorphosis-englished-mythologiz-d-and-represented-in-figures-an-essay-to-the

Kessinger Publishing’s 2010 reprint on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Metamorphosis-Englished-Mythologized-Represented-Figures/dp/1169810470

Figure 1: The Spine

George Sandys’ 1632 edition of Ovid’s Metamorphoses stands out within his oeuvre for one reason—its beautifully drawn illustrations. From the binding, one would never know that the book contained sixteen full-sized lithographs, each exquisitely detailed and depicting a different story from Metamorphoses. The spine reads Ovid’s Metamorphosis, but the title page states the full title as Ovid’s Metamorphosis Englished, Mythologiz’d, and Represented in Figures. An Essay to the Translation of Virgil’s Ӕneis, finally clueing readers into the splendor of the book (See Figures 1 and 2).        Frances Clein designed the lithographs, which Salmon Savery then implemented (Ellison). John Lichfield, an experienced publisher at Oxford University, published this edition. Only his name is credited alongside Sandys’ on the title page.

Figure 2: The Title Page

This copy of Metamorphoses had many oddities, most of which lie in its formatting.  Sandys’ translation is a large, heavy folio, far taller and wider than any book I have ever owned. It contains 549 pages, but there are multiple mistakes regarding the pagination that beg the question of what exactly happened during printing. There are two sections in the text where the numbers skip, omitting pages 47-50 and 122-144. The first instance of missing pages may very well have been a simple mistake as the result of human error and oversight. But the second instance—skipping 22 entire pages—is much harder to ignore. How does such an error happen? Adding to the oddity of it all, the actual story itself does not skip. The text of Metamorphoses flows continuously from page 121 to 145 with the correct catchwords and signatures. By all accounts, no physical pages are missing. The binding remains firmly intact and there are no remnants of pages destroyed or removed. It seems more likely than anything that it is a case of mistype, but again, such an egregious error makes one wonder how no one caught it before it went to print. John Lichfield had worked as Oxford’s printer since 1617, making him a veteran of the craft (Roberts). To have a book he published and printed contain such an error would be almost unthinkable, but in all likelihood we may never know the true circumstances of how the pagination came to be so incorrect. 

Figure 3: The Frontispiece

 Before the actual text of Ovid’s work begins, there are 10 pages of front matter. The text is then separated into fifteen books, followed by a translation of Virgil’s Ӕneis. The black and white illustrations accompany each of the fifteen books depicting their respective myths, but the Aeneid does not have its own illustration. The sixteenth illustration is the elaborate frontispiece alongside the title page (Figure 3). The illustrations themselves are lithographs, evident by the impressions on the backside of each illustration. The pages are in good condition, and all the illustrations are intact except for one. The illustration accompanying book three has a noticeable tear starting in the bottom right corner that extends to nearly half the page. It is poorly taped in the back, and the illustrated side has brown lines and markings along the tear that bled onto the first page of book three (Figure 4).

Figure 4: The ill-repaired tear at the beginning of Book 3

The paper itself has held up well over the centuries, with only a few spots of mildew and occasional stains scattered throughout. The paper has a slight thickness to it and it is smooth and flexible. Based on the date of publication, the pages are most likely cloth-based, made from rag or hemp. I do not have personal experience with telling types of paper through touch, but the Dickinson College Special Collections Librarian, Malinda Triller-Doran, also assessed the pages and confirmed the paper is cloth-based. The binding is calfskin, indicated by its smooth texture and dark brown color. I compared Ovid’s Metamorphosis Englished, Mythologiz’d, and Represented in Figures to other texts in the Archives & Special Collections that were bound in vellum, calfskin, and pigskin as confirmation. 

Figure 5: “The Minde of the Frontispiece”

A unique characteristic of this text is the amount of front matter and paratexts it holds. After the frontispiece and title page, there is an explanation of the frontispiece titled “The Minde of the Frontispeece, and Argument of this Worke” (Figure 5). Following this, there is dedication from Sandys to King Charles I (Figure 6), a panegyric to King Charles I, an address from mythological figure Urania to Queen Henrietta Maria, an address to the reader, and finally two sections on Ovid: “The Life of Ovid” and the aforementioned “Ovid Defended.” Throughout the paratexts are references to Greek myths Ovid included in Metamorphoses, such as those of Circe, Hercules, and of Echo and Narcissus. I found it interesting that Sandys included both a dedication to Charles I and a speech of praise addressed to him. To include both seemed to be excessive, so it is possible that Sandys was trying to curry favor with the king. I was not familiar with the word “panegyric” until reading it here, but upon learning its definition, I understood why Sandys included it in the front matter.

Figure 6: Sandys’ personal dedication to King Charles I

As mentioned previously, the pages and actual text of the book are well-preserved, but the binding is a different matter. The spine is in good condition, but the cover has some severe wear. It suggests that the book was either well-loved or improperly stored, possibly both. Both the front and back covers have discoloration and deep gouges, exposing the board of the book in multiple spots. There is also a stain on the backside of the leather. Different-sized splotches litter the fore edge, matching the external wear on the rest of the book. The text does feature some inscriptions, particularly on the title page. Someone wrote the name Thomas Chadwick alongside the word “Book” and “1780”—likely Mr. Chadwick himself. There is also illegible text written in brown ink above the name. On the flyleaf, in pencil, someone wrote £2.10, suggesting the book sold for that price at some point, but it is impossible to discern when. Ideally, I will be able to uncover more about the book’s history in Part II: Origins, along with the mysteries of the pagination and Sandys’ considerable devotion to King Charles I. 

Works Cited:

Ellison, James. “Sandys, George (1578–1644), writer and traveller.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  January 03, 2008. Oxford University Press. 

 Roberts, R. Julian. “Lichfield, Leonard (bap. 1604, d. 1657), printer.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  September 23, 2004. Oxford University Press.