Pope, Alexander, translator.

4to, first editions, contemporary red morocco, covers elaborately panelled in gilt, spines and inner dentelles gilt, all edges gilt, spines faded and slightly scuffed, some early repairs

James Brydges, Earl of Carnarvon and first Duke of Chandos; presented by him to his second wife Cassandra, daughter of Lord Willoughby, with inscriptions by Cassandra in volumes 1, 2 and 4 of the Iliad ("Given by my dear Lord Chandos to Cass: Chandos.");  her granddaughter Caroline Brydges, volumes 1-3 signed by her; her grandson, the poet Chandos Leigh, Lord Leigh of Stoneleigh Abbey (1791-1850), with the bookplates of his father James Leigh of Adlestrop (1765-1823).

Griffith 40, 48, 76, 94, 113, and 117 (Iliad); 151, 155, 159, 166, 170 (Odyssey).

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A sumptuous set of Pope's Homer, with an illustrious provenance. Pope's translation, one of the major literary events of the first half of the 18th century, was issued in three formats -- quarto, folio, and "large folio." The traditional size for major works in England had long been folio, but Pope's preference was for a quarto format, perhaps following the fashion introduced into France in the mid-17th century, and it was these copies that were reserved for subscribers, embellished with engraved head-pieces, tailpieces, and vignettes not used in the folios.

This remarkable set is from the library of James Brydges, Earl of Carnarvon and first Duke of Chandos, Pope's patron and friend. He is the "Timon" whose villa is luxuriously described in An Epistle to Burlington (1731), and the "gracious Chandos . . .beloved at sight" in Of the Knowledge and Characters of Men (1733). Chandos subscribed for no fewer than twelve sets of the Iliad, and ten of the Odyssey. These splendid volumes, in appropriately grand bindings, were presented by him to his second wife Cassandra (see below). The bindings have occasionally been scuffed or marked, having survived, as did much of the Stoneleigh library, a devastating fire, whose traces remain on one fore-edge; the few binding repairs date as well from that event. The Iliad is one of a small number of sets printed on thick paper, and, according to Griffith, "sold at an advanced price;" there were no thick-paper sets of the Odyssey. For a full discussion of the finances and aesthetics of Pope's Homer, see Foxon, Pope and the Early Eighteenth-Century Book Trade, pp. 51-81 (Iliad) and 91-101 (Odyssey). In all there were 574 subscribers for 654 sets of the Iliad, and 610 subscribers for 1057 sets of the Odyssey, which Pope completed more quickly, with the help of Elijah Fenton and William Broome as surrogate translators. In this handsome set, bound in beautiful red morocco of the period, one gathering of four leaves in volume 4 of the Iliad (4Y) has been omitted because of a binder's carelessness, but a specimen of this gathering has been loosely inserted; volume 5 from the same work lacks the plate of the Shield of Achilles.