Editions & Translations of The Golden Ass, with selected passages for comparison

THE GOLDEN ASS:
EDITIONS & TRANSLATIONS

All existing editions of the Golden Ass descend from a single manuscript F (Florence, Laurentianus 68.2), copied at Monte Cassino in the late eleventh century, and now residing in the Biblioteca Mediceo-Laurentiana, Florence. This manuscript ultimately derives from the double recension of a certain Sallustius, made first at Rome in 395CE and then at Constantinople in 397CE. MS F is illegible at some points; however, fortunately it a copy was made of it in the 12th or 13th century (when it was in much better repair), probably also at Monte Cassino. This copy is known as φ (Florence, Laurentianus 29.2), also kept in the Biblioteca Mediceo-Laurentiana. While φ has some flaws, it is indispensable for reading MS F at its illegible points. During the Italian Renaissance (14th & 15th centuries) further copies were made, not from F or φ, but from a different copy of F (now lost). The standard text is based mostly on MSS F and φ , with a minor supplement of readings from the Renaissance copies.

Some Noteworthy Modern Latin Editions

Editors	Title	Date	Publisher	ABE
R. Helm	Apulei opera quae supersunt (I): Apulei Platonici Madaurensis Metamorphoseon Libri XI	1907	Leipzig: Bibliotheca Teubneriana (1955 - rev.), (1992 - 3rd ed. w/ sup.)⁺	kaufen
C. Giarratano, revised by P. Frassinetti	Metamorphoseon libri XI	1960	Torino: ?	-
D.S. Robertson & P. Vallette^*	Apulée: Les Métamorphoses	1940-5	Paris: Les Belles Lettres (1940-5)	acheter

* - the Robertson & Vallette edition is the one recommended by P.G. Walsh & E.J. Kenney
+ - I do not know what the rev. editions or the supplement are, only possessing the 1st edition (the only Latin version I have).

More Latin Editions & Commentaries

Cupid Unfastening the Belt of Venus
painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds

Selected Passages with Latin Text and
Comparisons of Different English Translations

Bk. II:
Fotis's Savoury Recipes
fotis

Bk. III:
Mysterious Transformations
metamorphoses

Bk. IV & V:
Cupid & Psyche
cupid lamp

Bk. IX:
Tale of the Wife's Tub

tub

Bk. XI:
Isis Reveals Herself to Lucius

English Translation/Translator Information
[this idea originates from Syd Allen's Beowulf translation comparisons site]

Translator	Date	Comments	Selected Passages
William Adlington	1566	First English translation, Elizabethean. The edition Shakespeare read, influencing his work; in particular the plays A Midsummer's Night Dream, Othello & Much To Do About Nothing . more to be added	Bk. II Bk. III Bk. IV & V Bk. IX Bk. XI
Thomas Taylor	1822	Taylor's thorough, highly-annotated version emphasises the work's philosophical aspects, which he discerns even in the numerous 'titillating' episodes. Explaining rather weakly that, although "there is no real lasciviousness in the passages, yet as the generality of readers in the present age would fancy that there is," Taylor eliminated the naughty bits and printed them separately as "Passages Suppressed." When present, these usually appear as tipped-in slips or as a separate appendix. more to be added if I obtain a copy ( or, if you own one, and feel like it, please email me the passages)	Bk. II Bk. III Bk. IV & V Bk. IX Bk. XI
Nameless [Bohn's Library]	1853	to be added	Bk. II Bk. III Bk. IV & V Bk. IX Bk. XI
F. D. Byrne	1905	??? - to be added if I obtain a copy ( or, if you own one, and feel like it, please email me the passages)	Bk. II Bk. III Bk. IV & V Bk. IX Bk. XI
H.E. Butler	1910	expurgated - ??? - to be added if I obtain a copy ( or, if you own one, and feel like it, please email me the passages)	Bk. II Bk. III Bk. IV & V Bk. IX Bk. XI
J. Arthur Hanson	1915?	??? - to be added if I obtain a copy ( or, if you own one, and feel like it, please email me the passages) [Latin text & English translation]	Bk. II Bk. III Bk. IV & V Bk. IX Bk. XI
J ack Lindsay [click here for Jack Lindsay site] (not working yet)	1932	more to be added	Bk. II Bk. III Bk. IV & V Bk. IX Bk. XI
Robert Graves [click here for Robert Graves site]	1950	to be added	Bk. II Bk. III Bk. IV & V Bk. IX Bk. XI
P.G. Walsh	1994	to be added	Bk. II Bk. III Bk. IV & V Bk. IX Bk. XI
E.J. Kenney	1998	to be added	Bk. II Bk. III Bk. IV & V Bk. IX Bk. XI

English Editions Information
with links to Book Sellers carrying the editions

Translator	Date	Preface	Publisher	In Print	Lang.	Illustrated	[Illustrator]	ABE [used]	Alldirect	Amazon	Amazon.uk
William Adlington	1566	Thomas Seccombe	London: Grant Richards (1913) [1150 copies]	N	Eng.	frontispiece	?	BUY	-	-	-
W. Adlington	1566	E.B. Osborn	London: The Bodley Head (1923) image [3000 copies]	N	Eng.	16 plates (8 colour, 4 of these w/ gold paint); other B&W ill.	Jean de Bosschère	BUY	-	-	-
W. Adlington	1566	E.B. Osborn	New York: Rarity Press (1931)	N	Eng.	3? colour + B&W	Jean de Bosschère	BUY	-	-	-
W. Adlington	1566	E.B. Osborn	London: Abbey Library (nd-c.1945)	N	Eng.	B&W plates & ill.	Jean de Bosschère	BUY	-	-	-
W. Adlington	1566	?	London: John Westhouse (1947)	N	Eng.	B&W	Brian Robb	BUY	-	-
W. Adlington	1566	?	London: Richard Lesley & Co (1946)	N	Eng.	9 colour + B&W	Webster Murray	BUY	-	-	-
W. Adlington	1566	?	?:? (?-c.1920)	N	Eng.	Y	Martin Trevors	BUY	-	-	-
W. Adlington; revised by S. Gaselee	1566	James Morwood	Wordsworth (1996)	Y	Eng.	N		BUY	BUY	<MAP NAME="boxmap-p6"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="1, 140, 83, 150" HREF="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" ><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/apulethegolde-20" ></MAP><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x150.gif" width="120" height="150" border="0" usemap="#boxmap-p6" alt="Shop at Amazon.com">	BUY
Thomas Taylor¹	1822	?	London: Robert Triphook & Thomas Rodd (1822)	N	Eng.	N		BUY	-	-	-
T. Taylor¹	1822	?	Frome, Somerset: Prometheus Trust, (1997)	Y	Eng.	N		BUY	-	<MAP NAME="boxmap-p8"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="14, 200, 103, 207" HREF="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" ><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/apulethegolde-20" ></MAP><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" width="120" height="240" border="0" usemap="#boxmap-p8" alt="Shop at Amazon.com">	BUY
anonymous²	1853	anonymous	London: George Bell & Sons (1902) [Bohn's Library]	N	Eng.	frontispiece	?	BUY	-	-	-
F. D. Byrne	1905	?	London: Imperial Press (1905)	N	Eng.	?	?	BUY	-	-	-
H.E. Butler³ [2 vols.]	1910	?	Oxford: Oxford Uni Press (1910)	N	Eng.	?	?	BUY	-	-	-
J. Arthur Hanson [2 vols.]	1915?	?	Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Uni. Press (1989) [Loeb Classics]	Y	Latin/ Eng.	N		BUY	vol 1 vol 2	Vol. 1: <MAP NAME="boxmap-p6"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="1, 140, 83, 150" HREF="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" ><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/apulethegolde-20" ></MAP><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x150.gif" width="120" height="150" border="0" usemap="#boxmap-p6" alt="Shop at Amazon.com"> Vol. 2: <MAP NAME="boxmap-p6"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="1, 140, 83, 150" HREF="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" ><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/apulethegolde-20" ></MAP><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x150.gif" width="120" height="150" border="0" usemap="#boxmap-p6" alt="Shop at Amazon.com">	-
Jack Lindsay	1932	J. Lindsay	New York: Ltd. Editions Club (1932) image [1500 copies; gold asshide binding] [signed by illustrator]	N	Eng.	B&W	Percival Goodman	BUY	-	-	-
J. Lindsay	1932	J. Lindsay	Bloomington: Uni. of Indiana Press (1960) [Midland Books No 36]	Y	Eng.	N		BUY	BUY	<MAP NAME="boxmap-p8"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="14, 200, 103, 207" HREF="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" ><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/apulethegolde-20" ></MAP><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" width="120" height="240" border="0" usemap="#boxmap-p8" alt="Shop at Amazon.com">	-
Robert Graves	1950	R. Graves	Harmondsworth: Penguin (1950) [2000 signed copies]	N	Eng.	N		BUY	-	-	-
R. Graves	1950	R. Graves	London: Farrar Straus & Giroux (1951)	Y	Eng.	N		BUY	BUY	<MAP NAME="boxmap-p8"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="14, 200, 103, 207" HREF="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" ><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/apulethegolde-20" ></MAP><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" width="120" height="240" border="0" usemap="#boxmap-p8" alt="Shop at Amazon.com">	BUY
R. Graves	1950	R. Graves	Folio Society (1960)	N	Eng.	9 bicolour	Michael Ayrton	BUY	-	-	-
R. Graves	1950	R. Graves	Harmondsworth : Penguin (1964)	N	Eng.	N		BUY	-	-	-
P.G. Walsh	1994	P.G. Walsh	Oxford: Oxford Uni. Press (1994)	Y	Eng.	N		BUY	-	<MAP NAME="boxmap-p8"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="14, 200, 103, 207" HREF="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" ><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/apulethegolde-20" ></MAP><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" width="120" height="240" border="0" usemap="#boxmap-p8" alt="Shop at Amazon.com">	BUY
E.J. Kenney	1998	E.J. Kenney	Harmondsworth : Penguin(1999)	Y	Eng.	N		-	BUY	<MAP NAME="boxmap-p8"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="14, 200, 103, 207" HREF="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" ><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/apulethegolde-20" ></MAP><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" width="120" height="240" border="0" usemap="#boxmap-p8" alt="Shop at Amazon.com">	BUY

Notes:
1 - Taylor's volume includes the Golden Ass, On the God of Socrates, On the Philosophy of Plato; the reprint is also available from The Prometheus Trust [UK] or Minerva Books [USA] .
Somewhat expurgated.
2 - The Bohn's Library edition includes the Golden Ass, The God of Socrates, The Florida, Apologia. Some 'risqué' passages left untranslated.
3 - Expurgated.

Italian, French, German Translation & Edition Information & Seller Links

Translator	Title	Date	Publisher	Language	ABE	Amazon
Q. Cataudella (ed.)	Il romanzo antico greco e latino	1973	Florence: ?	italiano	-	-
Pierre Grimal	Romans grecs et latins	1958	Paris: Gallimard (1958)	français	acheter	acheter
A. Rode und E. Burck	Metamorfosen oder Der goldene Esel	1961	Hamburg: ?	Deutsch	kaufen	-