Talk:William Tudor (1779–1830)

In what letter did Wm. Tudor coin the phrase “Athens of America”? Specific reference, please. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.7.47.120 (talk) 14:08, 5 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Athens

To the previous, I add:

1. You list Tudor's Letters on the Eastern States, 1820, in the bibliography, below. Is that the work you are citing? If so, I discovered the 2nd ed., 1821, which you should list instead, because it corrects the year stated in the preface of the 1st ed. The 1st ed. preface says the letters were "principally" written in the year leading up to April, 1820. The 2nd ed. corrects that, saying the letters were "principally" written in the year leading up to September, 1819.

2. Either way, tell us where 'Athens of America' appears therein. 'Athens' is mentioned 3 times. In the 2nd mention, 2nd ed., p.364, it says only: "There is something so imposing in the immortal fame of Athens, that the very name makes everything modern shrink from comparison; but since the days of that glorious city, I know of none [presumably meaning other than Boston] that has approached so near, in a few points distant as it may still be, from that illustrious model."

3. The bibliographic entry reads, "1821 [sic] Letters on the Eastern States. 1820; Boston...". What mean by stating two years? Either state the relevance of the 1st year, or nix it.

4. Because the preface says the letters were principally written within the last year, how can one name the exact year of coinage? Unless you document the year of the letter you cite, change '1819' to 'perhaps 1818 or 1819'. And again, only if you find the phrase 'Athens of America'.

5. How do I know the above? Because both eds. are online, at Google Books, Hathi Trust, and Internet Archive. Add link(s) in the bibliography to all works listed which are online.

And you wonder why historians avoid Wikipedia like the plague. Or maybe that's The Hague. The Hague of Boston. Say, I kinda like that ... .

Jimlue (talk) 19:34, 19 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]