Family Name: Littlebury
First Name: Isaac
Personal info:
Career

Littlebury was an active member of a political circle – which included Walter Moyle, John Trenchard, Thomas Gordon, etc. - that in the late 1690s disseminated a series of works – those of Algernon Sidney, John Milton, Andrew Marvell, etc. - that launched the Real Whig canon.



Translations

translations activities

Littlebury translated Herodotus’s Ἱστορίαι (1709): Gibbon thought this version 'lame'. He also contributed to the translation of Fénelon's Télémaque, in 1699 and in 1719.



secondary bibliography references

Blair Worden, ‘The Commonwealth Kidney of Algernon Sidney’, The Journal of British Studies 24:1 (January 1985), 39

Blair Worden, ‘Republicanism and the Restoration, 1660–1683’, in Republicanism, Liberty, and Commercial Society 1649–1776, ed. David Wootton (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1994), 184–187.

Blair Worden, ‘Whig history and Puritan politics: the Memoirs of Edmund Ludlow revisited’, Historical Research 188: 75 (May 2002), 214-215

Translations

  • Avantures de Télémaque, fils d'Ulysse, ou Suite du Quatrième Livre de l'Odyssée d'Homère

  • Translation Title: The Adventures of Telemachus, the son of Ulysses translated from the French
  • Original Author: François Fénelon
  • Original title: Avantures de Télémaque, fils d'Ulysse, ou Suite du Quatrième Livre de l'Odyssée d'Homère
  • Publ. Year From: 1698 to: 1698
  • lang: French
  • Translation: The Adventures of Telemachus, the son of Ulysses translated from the French
  • Publisher: Awnsham and John Churchill
  • Pub. Place: London
  • Pub. Date: 1698
  • Lang: English
  • Note:

    Télémaque was co-translated by Isaac Littlebury, Alexander Oldys and Abel Boyer. Churchill brothers had originally engaged Littlebury but because of health problems he only translated the First Book (out of five). Boyer and Oldys were thus also engaged and this messy approach, and above all the ‘carelessness’ of the printers, made the reprints of the edition very shoddy (on this, see: Abel Boyer, 'Advertisement Concerning this English Version', in [François Fénelon], The Adventures of Telemachus. The son of Ulysses [...], London: W. Churchill, 1719), I, vii-x).

  • Ἱστορίαι

  • Translation Title: The history of Herodotus. Translated from the Greek
  • Original Author: Herodotus
  • Original title: Ἱστορίαι
  • lang: Ancient Greek
  • Translation: The history of Herodotus. Translated from the Greek
  • Publisher: Edward Castle and Samuel Buckley
  • Pub. Place: London
  • Pub. Date: 1708
  • Lang: English
  • Note:

    In the Preface Littlebury emphasised the civil utility of history, from which kings learn that they are no more than men and populations become conscious of the value of ‘liberty’.

  • Les Aventures de Télémaque Fyls d'Ulysse. Par seu Messire François de Salignac de la Motte Fénelon [...]. Première édition conforme au Manuscrit original

  • Translation Title: The Adventures of Telemachus. The son of Ulysses. Written in French by the late Mr. Francis de Salignac de la Motte Fenelon, Preceptor to the Children of France, and afterwards Archbishop of Cambray. Translated from the last Paris Edition, which is the only genuine, and agreeable tot he author's manuscript; and dedicated to the King of France. Done into English by Mr. Is. Littlebury and Mr. A. Boyer
  • Original Author: François Fénelon
  • Original title: Les Aventures de Télémaque Fyls d'Ulysse. Par seu Messire François de Salignac de la Motte Fénelon [...]. Première édition conforme au Manuscrit original
  • Publ. Year From: 1716 to: 1716
  • lang: French
  • Translation: The Adventures of Telemachus. The son of Ulysses. Written in French by the late Mr. Francis de Salignac de la Motte Fenelon, Preceptor to the Children of France, and afterwards Archbishop of Cambray. Translated from the last Paris Edition, which is the only genuine, and agreeable tot he author's manuscript; and dedicated to the King of France. Done into English by Mr. Is. Littlebury and Mr. A. Boyer
  • Publisher: W. Churchill
  • Pub. Place: London
  • Pub. Date: 1718
  • Lang: English
  • Note:

    Littlebury co-translated this work with Abel Boyer. The latter wrote and signed the Preface. This version is based on Télémaque's first authorised edition.

calamaio

By:

  • Aris Della Fontana