Johann Friedrich Degen - Anakreons Lieder nebst andern lyrischen Gedichten - 1787

Johann Friedrich Degen (1752–1786)

Anacreon’s Songs Along with Other Lyrical Poems

Altenburg, Gottlob Emanuel Richter, 1787

⸻

Object description

The original 18th-century edition of Anakreontis poetry, edited and translated by Johann Friedrich Degen, one of the representatives of German neoclassicism and humanistic philology.

The publication contains Greek texts along with German translations and paraphrases, supplemented by extensive philological comments (Anmerkungen). The book exemplifies the reception of ancient literature among scholars at the end of the 18th century.

The copy contains the author's dedication to Johann Friedrich Heyne, a distinguished classical philologist from the University of Göttingen, which emphasizes the academic nature of the edition.

⸻

Historical significance

Anacreon was one of the most frequently translated Greek poets in the 18th century. Anacreontic poetry – focused on themes of love, wine, youth, and the passage of time – played a significant role in the development of the aesthetics of classicism and sentimentalism.

Degen's publication is one of the early scholarly attempts at critically editing Anacreontic texts in German and was aimed at the academic community.

⸻

Bibliographic data
• Author: Johann Friedrich Degen
Anacreon's Songs along with Other Lyrical Poems
Place of publication: Altenburg
Publisher: Gottlob Emanuel Richter
Year: 1787
Languages: Classical Greek, German.
• Binding: original period binding, half-leather with marbled covers.

⸻

Condition
Original frame, with clear signs of wear (leather damage on the back).
• Paper with natural patina and foxing.
Book block complete
Lack of cards and lack of secondary interventions.

Overall condition: good / good minus, fully acceptable for an 18th-century object.

⸻

Notes for collectors
original print from the 18th century
Greek text + German translation
Meaningful philological dedication
original frame from the period
An interesting item for collectors of classical literature, philology, and 18th-century humanities.