Goldsmith - Compendio della Storia Greca - 1817

GREECE DOMESTICATED: WHEN ANCIENT HISTORY BECOMES A MANUAL FOR THE MODERN READER
This Compendium of Greek history by Oliver Goldsmith, in its Venetian edition of 1817, perfectly represents the transformation of classical historiography into a popularizing instrument between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The work, conceived for a broad audience, reduces the complexity of the Greek world to a linear, accessible, and morally oriented narrative, following the pedagogical taste of the era. Greece is no longer merely the object of erudition, but becomes a civil and political model, filtered through clear and orderly prose. This Venetian edition testifies to the vitality of the Italian book market in disseminating European bestselling historical texts.
MARKET VALUE
The Italian nineteenth-century editions of historical compendia, especially if incomplete and in modest bindings, generally range between 50 and 200 euros; complete copies.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Contemporary binding in semi-flexible parchment, with signs of use and wear, back with traces of handwritten title. Endpaper browned with some foxing. In old books, with a long multi-century history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 12; 176.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Compendium of Greek history from its origin to the reduction of Greece into a Roman province.
Venice, at Giuseppe Molinari, 1817.
Oliver Goldsmith.

CONTEXT
Oliver Goldsmith, Irish author of the eighteenth century, was among the leading disseminators of ancient history in the English language. His works, translated and adapted throughout Europe, respond to a growing demand for accessible and formative texts. The Compendium of Greek History falls within this line: a concise narrative that prioritizes clarity and didactic effectiveness over philological depth. The 1817 Venetian edition fits into a context in which post-Napoleonic Italy rediscovers the educational value of ancient history, using it as a tool for civil formation.

BIOGRAPHY
Oliver Goldsmith (1728–1774) was an Irish writer, poet, and essayist. A versatile author, he is known for literary and historical works intended for a broad audience. His output is distinguished by clarity of exposition and educational purpose, contributing to the diffusion of classical culture in a popularizing form.

PRINTING HISTORY
Goldsmith’s historical works enjoyed wide diffusion in Europe between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, thanks to numerous translations and adaptations. Italian editions, such as the Venetian one of 1817, bear witness to the enduring success of the “compendium” model, intended for schools and non-specialist readers. The Molinari edition is part of an active publishing circuit in the production of educational and historical texts.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU/OPAC SBN: Goldsmith, Compendio della storia greca, Venezia, Molinari, 1817 (record to be verified)
WorldCat: Goldsmith, History of Greece (various editions and translations)
Graesse, Trésor de livres rares, III, p. 98
Brunet, Manuel du libraire, II, col. 1645 (Goldsmith, historical works)
19th-century Italian catalogs of school and historical texts