Back in the late 1700s in Dublin, the Reverend William Ford translated eleven of Lucian’s satiric dialogues, plus his essay on the proper way to write history. This translation was intended solely for the edification and amusement of his son. It was not meant for publication. However, someone made a copy and started circulating it privately, which prompted the Reverend to publish his original translation. Published in 1785 by Dublin’s premier printer, P. Byrne, Ford’s translation provides a window into the history, literary dynamics, politics and printing practices of that period — the end of The Enlightenment, beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the advent of Republicanism and the Irish Rebellion. This facsimile edition faithfully reproduces the 1785 edition, and an Afterword by Gian Lombardo provides some context on the edition, the translator, the publisher and on Lucian himself.
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