Author: Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (Lucan). With notes by Hugo Grotius and Thomas Farnaby.
Title: M. Annaei Lucani Pharsalia, sive de Bello Civili Caesaris et Pompeii.
Publisher: Amstelodami (Amsterdam), Apud Janssonio-Waesbergios, 1681.
Language: Text in Latin.
Size: 5 x 3 inches.
Pages: 330 pages.
Binding: Very good contemporary full calf binding, richly grained, with a red morocco spine label and gilt decoration to the covers (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown, light rubbing and wear to extremities, consistent with age, yet remaining solid, attractive, and well preserved) under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing and staining - as shown, light staining to the preliminary pages - as shown).A tight and sound copy.
Illustration: Engraved frontispiece and decorative typographic ornaments.

Estimate: (USD 250 – 350)

The book: A handsome 17th-century Elzevir-style edition of Lucan’s Pharsalia, the great Roman epic recounting the civil war between Caesar and Pompey. Printed in Amsterdam in 1681, this compact scholarly edition incorporates the influential notes of Hugo Grotius and Thomas Farnaby, reflecting the humanist tradition of classical commentary. The engraved title and finely printed Latin text exemplify the craftsmanship of Dutch presses of the period. The volume also bears notable provenance, including an armorial-style bookplate and a bibliographical note referencing the Bibliotheca Elzeviriana, adding further historical interest. A refined and desirable small-format classical text, both scholarly and collectible.

The author: Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (39–65 AD), known as Lucan, was a Roman poet of the Silver Age of Latin literature. His Pharsalia (also known as De Bello Civili) is a powerful and unconventional epic, notable for its historical subject and stoic tone, offering a dramatic account of the conflict that marked the end of the Roman Republic.