The Satires Of Juvenal

The Satires of Juvenal (1970) by E. G. Hardy – Macmillan

ISBN: None
Condition: Good
Published: 1970
Provenance: Ex-school copy from Old Palace School, Croydon
Offered by: Crappy Old Books

There was a time when civilisation was collapsing, politicians were corrupt, the wealthy were insufferable, and respectable citizens complained that everything had been considerably better in their grandparents’ day.

Welcome to ancient Rome, approximately two thousand years before anybody invented social media.

The Satires of Juvenal, presented in this 1970 Macmillan edition by E. G. Hardy, introduces one of antiquity’s most magnificently ill-tempered literary personalities, a man who surveyed Roman society and concluded that practically everybody involved deserved a thorough verbal thrashing.

Decimus Junius Juvenalis, better known as Juvenal, was a Roman satirist whose surviving works offer a spectacular catalogue of human vanity, greed, hypocrisy, corruption, social climbing and moral bankruptcy.

His targets included dishonest officials, extravagant aristocrats, opportunistic flatterers, pretentious intellectuals and citizens whose devotion to luxury considerably exceeded their commitment to virtue.

Juvenal was not a gentle humourist offering affectionate observations about life’s little absurdities. His satire was frequently savage, bitter, exaggerated and gloriously unforgiving. Indeed, some of his prejudices might make even the most enthusiastic modern admirer of free expression reconsider the wisdom of inviting him to dinner.

Yet beneath the ferocious rhetoric lies an uncomfortable familiarity.

His complaints about financial inequality, political dishonesty, conspicuous consumption and the distractions of popular entertainment could, with relatively minor adjustments, furnish material for a particularly disgruntled newspaper columnist today.

Juvenal also popularised the immortal expression bread and circuses, suggesting that a population sufficiently occupied with food and entertainment might become rather less interested in the behaviour of its rulers.

This particular copy possesses an additional historical attraction: it is an ex-school book from Old Palace School in Croydon.

One can imagine generations of pupils confronting Juvenal’s Latin, struggling through unfamiliar grammatical constructions while discovering that the ancient Romans were apparently just as dishonest, argumentative and socially competitive as their modern descendants.

Whether Juvenal improved their moral character or merely their examination results remains uncertain.

Condition: Good. A respectable 1970 Macmillan edition showing the ordinary signs of age, handling and institutional ownership. Its school provenance adds an appealing educational history, suggesting a volume that has endured years of classical instruction, conscientious study and possibly the occasional desperate attempt to translate Latin five minutes before a lesson.

Naturally, there is no ISBN. The Romans managed an empire without international book-numbering systems, although their enthusiasm for administration suggests they might eventually have invented something considerably more complicated.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where classical indignation is encouraged, institutional survivors are welcomed, and nobody is required to decline a Latin noun before making a purchase.

A fascinating collectible for enthusiasts of Roman literature, classical satire, educational history and the enduring human talent for finding fault with absolutely everything.

Two thousand years later, Juvenal would still have plenty to complain about.

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