Small 8°. (VIII),1244,(XXXVI index) p. Two folding plates. Contemporary half calf 17.5 cm (Ref: Not yet in VD18) (Details: Back ruled gilt. Boards marbled. Title in red and black. Two folding plates, one showing Greek MS abbreviations explained; the other shows a Greek inscription, the 'Inscriptio Sigea') (Condition: Binding scuffed. Head and foot of the spine worn and slightly damaged. Corners slightly bumped. Front endpapers with ownership inscriptions. Title with some brown stains. Paper yellowing. Internally fine) (Note: The Universität zu Berlin, or University at Berlin, was founded in 1810 by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt. But higher education flourished already in the 17th century in this city, which became the capital of Prussia in 1701 under Friedrich Wilhelm I, the Soldier King, who was King of Prussia, Markgraf von Brandenburg and Kurfürst of the Holy Roman Empire till 1740. There were 5 gymnasia in the city, of which (1) the Berlinisches Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster was founded in 1574; (2) the Friedrich-Werdersches Gymnasium existed since 1701; (3) the Cöllnisches or Köllnisches Gymasium went back to a 15th century Schola Latina, and was refounded as Gymnasium in 1766; (4) the Joachimthalsches Gymnasium was founded in 1607 as Gymnasium Electorale Brandenburgium in valle Joachimica, and was moved to Berlin in 1636; in 1707 this school was renamed by king Friedrich Wilhelm I Gymnasium Regium Joachimicum; (5) and the Französisches Gymnasium or Collège français de Berlin, founded in 1689 for the children of the Huguenot families who had settled in Brandenburg-Prussia. And then there was in Berlin also the Königlich-Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften, or the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences, an academy established in 1700.§ This very extensive Greek school grammar was produced by the German Polyhistor and linguist Johann Leonard Frisch, 1666-1743. The production was commissioned by a board that consisted of the Rectores and Conrectores of 4 Berlin Gymnasia, presumably excluding number 5, the French Gymnasium. (Preface p. x2 recto) The task of the board was the realization of a series of textbooks, grammars, among which of course a Latin grammar, compendia, and editions of classical authors to be used in all grammar schools of the Mark Brandenburg. Frisch himself was one of the members of the board, as he was Rector of the Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster since 1727. In 1706 he had already been appointed, recommended by Leibniz, member of the newly established Königlich-Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Frisch's publications show an amazing range of interests. His scientific activities are reflected in his writing on ornithology, entomology, comparative linguistics, German and Russian grammar, etc. He compiled a French and German dictionary, and was one of the pioneers of Slavic studies in Germany with his Historia linguae sclavonicae. 'His main work is the German-Latin dictionary (1741), into which he put 50 years of work'. (H. Stammerjohann, 'Lexicon Grammaticorum: A bio-bibliographical companion to the history of linguistics', 2nd edition, Tübingen, 2009, p. 492. See also 'Neue Deutsche Biographie', vol. 5 (1961), p. 616) (Provenance: The provenance is Swedish. Two names on the front pastedown: 'J. P. Jakobsson, 1873', and probably 'C. v. Rosenthal, 1801'. On the front flyleaf: 'J.P. Jakobsson, Kalman 1892', and 'Ake Ljungfors, 1930') (Collation: x4, A-4I8; 4K-4L4, x8) (Photographs on request)