W. C. Firebaugh
Encyclopedia
W. C. Firebaugh was the author of two works on the history of inns and taverns, and also of a fine English translation of Petronius
's Satyricon
, the fragmentary realistic novel of low life under the Roman Empire
.
The translation was published in 1922 in New York, in a very expensive ($30) limited edition, by Horace Liveright
, founder of the Modern Library
. Like earlier English translations, but more completely, Firebaugh's Satyricon includes the spurious supplements
devised by various early scholars and forgers in an attempt to round out the fragmentary story. Firebaugh was however careful to distinguish all these supplements from the real translated text. His is still the only English translation of the supplement by José Marchena, which, because of its obscenity, had previously been printed only in the original Latin.
The 1923 publication includes a sequence of 100 etchings by the Australian artist Norman Lindsay
, originally used in the even rarer 1910 Satyricon edited by Stephen Gaselee.
The original text, the etchings, and the Marchena supplement were all arguably pornographic by the strict standards of English-language publishing in the 1920s. John S. Sumner
, secretary of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice
, obtained a copy before publication and accused Liveright of selling obscene material directed to the public. After a celebrated trial the case was dismissed by the New York court.
Four years after the initial publication of Firebaugh's Satyricon, a version adapted for a general market was published by Liveright in 1927. It was edited by Charles Whibley
.
Petronius
Gaius Petronius Arbiter was a Roman courtier during the reign of Nero. He is generally believed to be the author of the Satyricon, a satirical novel believed to have been written during the Neronian age.-Life:...
's Satyricon
Satyricon
Satyricon is a Latin work of fiction in a mixture of prose and poetry. It is believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius, though the manuscript tradition identifies the author as a certain Titus Petronius...
, the fragmentary realistic novel of low life under the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.
The translation was published in 1922 in New York, in a very expensive ($30) limited edition, by Horace Liveright
Horace Liveright
Horace Brisbin Liveright was an American publisher and stage producer. With Albert Boni, he founded the Modern Library and Boni & Liveright publishers. He published books from numerous influential American and British authors...
, founder of the Modern Library
Modern Library
The Modern Library is a publishing company. Founded in 1917 by Albert Boni and Horace Liveright as an imprint of their publishing company Boni & Liveright, it was purchased in 1925 by Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer...
. Like earlier English translations, but more completely, Firebaugh's Satyricon includes the spurious supplements
Supplements to the Satyricon
Petronius's Satyricon, the only realistic classical Latin novel , survives in a very fragmentary form. Many readers have wondered how the story would begin and end....
devised by various early scholars and forgers in an attempt to round out the fragmentary story. Firebaugh was however careful to distinguish all these supplements from the real translated text. His is still the only English translation of the supplement by José Marchena, which, because of its obscenity, had previously been printed only in the original Latin.
The 1923 publication includes a sequence of 100 etchings by the Australian artist Norman Lindsay
Norman Lindsay
Norman Alfred William Lindsay was an Australian artist, sculptor, writer, editorial cartoonist, scale modeler, and boxer. He was born in Creswick, Victoria....
, originally used in the even rarer 1910 Satyricon edited by Stephen Gaselee.
The original text, the etchings, and the Marchena supplement were all arguably pornographic by the strict standards of English-language publishing in the 1920s. John S. Sumner
John S. Sumner
John Saxton Sumner headed the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice , a New York state censorship body empowered to recommend obscenity cases to the appropriate prosecutors. He served as Associate Secretary of the NYSSV for three years, succeeding founder Anthony Comstock as Executive...
, secretary of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice
New York Society for the Suppression of Vice
The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice was an institution dedicated to supervising the morality of the public, founded in 1873. Its specific mission was to monitor compliance with state laws and work with the courts and district attorneys in bringing offenders to justice. It and its...
, obtained a copy before publication and accused Liveright of selling obscene material directed to the public. After a celebrated trial the case was dismissed by the New York court.
Four years after the initial publication of Firebaugh's Satyricon, a version adapted for a general market was published by Liveright in 1927. It was edited by Charles Whibley
Charles Whibley
Charles Whibley was an English literary journalist and author. Whibley’s style was described by Matthew as “often acerbic high-tory commentary”.-Life:...
.
Works
- The Satyricon of Petronius Arbiter. Complete and unexpurgated translation by W. C. Firebaugh, in which are incorporated the forgeries of Nodot and Marchena, and the readings introduced into the text by De Salas. (New York, Boni and Liveright, 1922)
- The Inns of the Middle Ages. (Reprint, Kessinger Publishing, 2005: ISBN 1-4179-6013-2)
- The Inns of Greece and Rome, and a history of hospitality from the dawn of time to the Middle Ages (Chicago, 1928. Reprint, New York, Benjamin Blom, 1972)