Adages Ii1 to Iv100 (Heritage) Paperback – August 1, 1982

First, let me explain why I only gave this great classic of the Renaissance only four stars. The first, is the cost. I ordered one volume a month, until I began worrying that someone else would snatch them out from under me. My credit card is still recovering from the shock. The second is that across the six volumes, there is no index which puts things in either alphabetical or topical order (as with a Thesaurus. It would be of little value to put them all in Latin alphabetical order, as a large number of the 4150 adages are from the Greek, not Latin.Second, let me clarify what Erasmus means by "Adages". In Samuel Johnson's dictionary, an adage is "Lat.]A maxim handed down from antiquity; a proverb. This is not what Erasmus means. A proverb assumes a complete sentence. Most of Erasmus' adages are not sentences, but clauses, or even just phrases from works of literature written in classic Greek or Latin. For example, Adage 18 is a familiar expression "On the razor's edge", which forecasts the title of Somerset Maughm's novel, is first from Homer's The Iliad, meaning, as we do now, to be finely balanced between success or failure. The expression reappears in Sophocles' Antigone, in the Epigrams, and in the Dioscuri (both collections of Greek sayings.) The interesting thing is that some sources (Wikipedia) say Maugham took the expression from the Katha Upanishand "Arise, awake, and learn by approaching the exalted ones, for that path is sharp as a razor's edge, impassable, and hard to go by, say the wise." Which is a slightly different meaning.Third, I will cite the primary reason for treasuring this work. It may be the ultimate medicine for writer's block. There are 4151 different phrases, spread out over six volumes, every one has about a half page of explanation. But a large minority have essays by Erasmus which are several pages long. I can just imagine a blog writer, setting themselves the task of writing 1000 words each week, to be at a loss for something abut which they can write. If I were in that position, I would take one of these volumes, open it at random and page through it until I found an adage with a page or more of commentary, and use that as the subject for my blog.Fourth, as delightful as Erasmus' comments are, their references are sometimes vague. The annotator has remedied this situation by providing footnotes, sometimes even suggesting a primary source which Erasmus does not mention, such as the expression 23 "Back to the third line". The editor attributes it to a proverb in Livy, based on a military manuver.Everyone is familiar with the proverb "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts." It turns out this sentiment is far deeper than just the incident from Homer with the Trojan horse. Erasmus' version is 35 "Gifts of enemies are no gifts." It was an ancient Greek custum to distrust anything given to us by people with suspicious intentions. There are even events in The Iliad about bad arising out of gifts exchanged between Ajax and Hector, even before the famous incident with the horse.The books are beautifully and durably bound, and the copies I received, although plainly second hand, are in tip top shape, just a few tiny tears in the dust jacket (whether or not the volume's photograph had a dust jacket or not.

Great!

I thought this was one of the best books about proverbs and sayings that I've ever read. While other editions like those from Hippocrene are enjoyable, they are also light on background and interpretation. The other reviewer for this title who posted several paragraphs has precisely and thoroughly described the book. Proverbs are excellent sources of understanding and insight. Some aspects are timeless, about the quest to do what is right and seek what is good, and other aspects have meanings that are less relevant today.In recent times, in the first age of the internet, social media, and e-books, we have a variety of contemporary leaders, thinkers, and actors who are contributing to this field. While no one of them will ever likely have a book as extensive as the Collected Works by Erasmus, maybe if a writer were to combine the sayings of Warren Buffett, Donald Rumsfeld, and William Tecumseh Sherman (see Wikipedia) we would be well on our way to a new kind of encyclopedia of modern Nuclear Age sayings. Who could forget some of the Rumsfeldisms, Warrenisms, and Shermanisms like the "Unknown Known", "Circle of Competence", and that "War is Hell", war is cruel, and the sooner it is over the better (a view that is presently disputed by most Congresspersons).Yet a really new and complete book about American Proverbs in the Nuclear Age, or American Proverbs in the Internet Age would go further, and not just look at the very widely known quotes.There is an old saying that we should also listen to some of the softer and kinder voices too. Various interviews with people from media and Hollywood are actually replete with good and thoughtful statements that, while most Americans may not ever memorize them, these sayings should at least be collected and written down for new college students and future generations. For example, Emma Watson has some very good ideas about modern life, and how women and men can have better careers. In this short review I may not have the time or qualifications to say which of their ideas are the most valuable; that can be a project for journalists, editors, and writers who may be interested and willing to assemble a new collection of Internet Age Proverbs.I've like quotes, proverbs, and sayings for a long time and hope to continue this interest. I hope you the reader also find the material worth pursuing, either with these print books, e-books, or library copies.