L. Annaei Senecae philosophi Opera omnia ex ult. I. Lipsii & I.F. Gronovii emendat. et M. Annaei Senecae rhetoris quae exstant ex. And. Schotti recens Seneca (Senecae)

L. Annaei Senecae philosophi Opera omnia The complete works of the philosopher L. Annaeus Seneca, edited by I. Lipsius and I.F. Gronovius, and those of the rhetorician M. Annaeus Seneca, which are extant from And Schotti recent. Overall Condition: VERY GOOD+ Antiquarian. Collated and complete in 3 volumes, including blanks and both plates. ABOUT THE BOOK Published in 1658-59 by Elzevir in Amsterdam. Latin text. Bound in contemporary full vellum with yapp edges and exposed binding cords along the joints. Later gilt-lettered morocco spine label. All edges speckled. Duodecimo, 12mo, 5 5/8" x 3 3/8". Collated and complete: [48], 535, [1] pp.; v. 2: 694, [2] pp. (the last leaf blank); v. 3: 440, [152] with original end blank flyleaves included in collation. Engraved architectural title page. Woodcuts - several tail pieces and decorated initials. Elzevir printer device on separate title pages for volumes II and III. Two plates - portrait of Seneca and another of Seneca in a bath where he died. ABOUT SENECA Annaeus Seneca the Younger (4 BC - AD 65) usually known mononymously as Seneca, was a Stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome, a statesman, a dramatist, and in one work, a satirist, from the post-Augustan age of Latin literature. His works discuss both ethical theory and practical advice, and Seneca stresses that both parts are distinct but interdependent. Seneca remains one of the few popular Roman philosophers from the period. He appears not only in Dante, but also in Chaucer and to a large degree in Petrarch, who adopted his style in his own essays and who quotes him more than any other authority except Virgil. As a writer, Seneca is known for his philosophical works, and for his plays, which are all tragedies. His prose works include 12 essays and 124 letters dealing with moral issues. These writings constitute one of the most important bodies of primary material for ancient Stoicism. As a tragedian, he is best known for plays such as his Medea, Thyestes, and Phaedra. Seneca had an immense influence on later generations In AD 41, Seneca was exiled to the island of Corsica under emperor Claudius but was allowed to return in 49 to become a tutor to Nero. When Nero became emperor in 54, Seneca became his advisor and, together with the praetorian prefect Sextus Afranius Burrus, provided competent government for the first five years of Nero's reign. Seneca's influence over Nero declined with time, and in 65 Seneca was executed by forced suicide for alleged complicity in the Pisonian conspiracy to assassinate Nero. ABOUT THE PUBLISHER Elzevir is the name of a family of Dutch booksellers, publishers, and printers of the 17th and early 18th centuries. The duodecimo series of "Elzevirs" became very famous and very desirable among bibliophiles, who sought to obtain the tallest and freshest copies of these tiny books. Their small editions are renowned for elegance of design, neatness, clearness and regularity of type, and beauty of high-quality paper. CONDITION REPORT: VERY GOOD+ Exterior and binding: Firm hinges and joints and tight binding. Naturally aged vellum with the typical soiling and darkening one would expect for a nearly 370-year-old set of books. Rubbing. The usual darkened top edges. Interior with white to gently toned pages. Text block is generally impressively clean and bright. Grubby endpapers with some inscriptions. Rear endpapers and blanks with a hand-inked index in an antiquarian hand. Occasional marginalia or underlining in a contemporary or a bit later hand, a bit heavier in Volume II. Title pages with former owner's ex libris mark and ink inscription on the verso. No foxing. A few minor ink spills not affecting text. No worming. A few other minor signs of handling - few smudges, some creased corners. Light water dampening to head of volume III text block and a few water spots to top margin of a few pages in Volume III else NEAR FINE by antiquarian standards for a set of volumes nearly 370-years-old.