Description

This ambitious six‑volume study sets out to peel away the layers of myth that have long clouded ancient narratives, seeking the pure facts that lie beneath. The author blends rigorous textual criticism with a wealth of visual material—forty‑one finely engraved plates and a comprehensive index guide the reader through the complex terrain. Modern‑style footnotes, complete with hover‑over transliterations of Greek and Hebrew passages, make the scholarship surprisingly accessible for a work first published in the early 1800s.

Beyond the scholarly apparatus, the opening pages offer a vivid portrait of the man behind the project, chronicling his education at Eton and Cambridge, his service to the Duke of Marlborough, and his lifelong devotion to learning. His disciplined routine, love of dogs, and connections with leading physicians and clergymen of the day lend a personal dimension to the otherwise academic undertaking, inviting listeners to appreciate both the mind and the character that shaped this early attempt at mythic “de‑fabling.

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