"Contemporary parchment binding. 150 x 90 mm, 12º: (dl 1:) pi2 *6 (-*4) A-K#12 L#8, [14] 256 pp.; (dl 2:) pi#2 A-Q#12, [4] 382 pp.; (dl 3:) pi#2 A-Q#12, [4] 338 [44] pp. Three identical engraved title pages with a circular portrait engraving. Part II has 15 etchings by C[oenraad] Decker. Little foxing, good copy.".Prose translation (prozavertaling) of the complete works of Ovid (and more, because some poems are now known not to be Ovid's). The works are arranged in the usual chronological order: first the heroines letters (Heldinnenbrieven) and erotic poetry (erotische poezie), then the metamorphoses, illustrated with 15 engravings by C Decker and in part III the incomplete calendar (only six of the 12 months) and mourning songs and letters from the Black Sea. These last two titles were written by Ovid while he was in exile. The translator, Abraham Valentijn (1640 – after 1697) was preceptor and rector at the Latin School in Dordrecht and from 1681 also the librarian for the Dordrecht city library. In his dedication to Mayor Adriaan van Blyenborch, he blames previous Ovid translators that they had not studied Greek historians and poets enough, thus “op tallijke blinde klippen gestooten sijn” (which means that they had a lot of difficulties translating). The 15 prints by Decker for the first edition of Valentijn's translation, which appeared at Daniel Gaasbeeck at Leiden, are only a small part of the originally intended prints. When you read the message to the binder in the back, you'll see that there was another set of prints (124 pieces!) that could have been bound with th … [Click Below for Full Description]