1729 – Plutarch Parallel Lives | Latin & Greek | Enormous 5 Volume Set

Plutarch’s Lives or Parallel Lives is one of the most important and comprehensive collection of biographies of famous Greek and Roman figures. Plutarch was not so much focused on providing a historical account of these famous individuals as much as he was seeking to write of the type of person they were and the life in which they lived. He focuses on Alexander the Great, Romulus and Remus, Demosthenes, Cicero, Brutus, Julius Caesar, and many other important figures.

This massive five-volume set was published in 1729 and is notable for featuring both Latin and Greek translations of the text on each page. While many of the volumes retain older title pages, this edition was published in 1729 with a new title page used in the first volume.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Plutarchi Chaeronensis Vitae Parallelae : cum singulis aliquot : graece et latine
• Author(s): Plutarch
• Illustrator(s):
• Contributor(s): Augustinus Bryanus (notes and translation)
• Publisher: Londini [London], Ex officiń Jacobi Tonson & Johannis Watts
• Edition: 1729.
• Binding: Full leather
• Format: (4to), five volume set
• Size:  11.5 in x 9.5 in (29.2 cm x 24.1 cm)
• Collation:
  • Vol. I – [66], 415p, [1], 105pp, frontispiece
  • Vol. II – 594p
  • Vol. III – 590p
  • Vol. IV – 611p
  • Vol. V – 468p, [60]
• Illustrations: frontispiece in volume 1
• Contents Include:
  • Alexandri the Great
  • Julius Caesaris
  • Demosthenis
  • Ciceronis
  • Romulus et Remus; Theseus
• Provenance: bookplate – North Library

Condition:

Very Good. Original full leather bindings show modest wear to hinges and corners. Gilt titling on spine moderately faded. The text block is tight and secure across all volumes. Internally, pages are complete with minimal age toning, and the set is free from major markings or damage.

Why Collect This?

• Rare 1729 bilingual Greek-Latin edition of Plutarch
• Published in five massive tomes!
• Ideal for scholars of Greco-Roman antiquity or translation studies

Item Number: #29669