Canonical Texts And Scholarly Practices

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In this collection of richly documented case studies, experts in many textual traditions examine the ways in which important texts were preserved, explicated, corrected, and used for a variety of purposes. The authors describe the multiple ways in which scholars in different cultures have addressed some of the same tasks, revealing both radical differences and striking similarities in textual practices across space, time and linguistic borders. This volume shows how much is learned when historians of scholarship, like contemporary historians of science, focus on earlier scholars' practices, and when Western scholarly traditions are treated as part of a much larger, cross-cultural inquiry.

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Canonical Texts and Scholarly Practices In this collection of richly documented case studies, experts in many textual traditions examine the ways in which important texts were preserved, explicated, corrected, and used for a variety of purposes. The authors describe the multiple ways in which scholars in different cultures have addressed some of the same tasks, revealing both radical differences and striking similarities in textual practices across space, time, and linguistic borders. This volume shows how much is learned when historians of scholarship, like contemporary historians of science, focus on earlier scholars’ practices, and when Western scholarly traditions are treated as part of a much larger, cross-cultural inquiry. ANTHONY GRAFTON teaches European history at Princeton University. He is the author of numerous books and articles on the history of classical scholarship, the history of science, and the history of learning, from late antiquity to the twentieth century. GLENN W. MOST is Professor of Greek Philology at the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Visiting Professor on the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago, and External Scientific Member of the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin. He has published numerous books and articles on classics; the history and methodology of classical studies; the classical tradition and comparative literature; modern philosophy and literature; literary theory; the history of science; and the history of art. Canonical Texts and Scholarly Practices A Global Comparative Approach Edited by Anthony Grafton and Glenn W. Most University Printing House, Cambridge CB2 8BS, United Kingdom Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge. It furthers the University’s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781107105980 © Cambridge University Press 2016 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2016 Printed in the United Kingdom by Clays, St Ives, plc A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Grafton, Anthony, editor. Title: Canonical texts and scholarly practices : a global comparative approach / edited by Anthony Grafton and Glenn W. Most. Description: New York : Cambridge University Press, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and indexes. Identifiers: LCCN 2016008141 | ISBN 9781107105980 (hardback) Subjects: LCSH: Canon (Literature) | Transmission of texts. | Textual criticism. Classification: LCC PN81.C275 2016 | DDC 809–dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016008141 ISBN 978-1-107-10598-0 Hardback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party int