Lucian of Samosata · c. AD 125-after 180
The Ignorant Book-Collector
Πρὸς τὸν ἀπαίδευτον καὶ πολλὰ βιβλία ὠνούμενονThe Ignorant Book-Collector is a speech against a wealthy man who buys books in order to seem learned. The Fowlers omit section 23 of the Greek, which they regard as unsuitable. It has 30 sections in the Greek.
Contents · 3 passages
- 1–7Buying books does not make you educated1516 words
- 8–19Evangelus at Delphi; Orpheus' lyre; Dionysius' tablets1599 words
- 20–30Why he buys books; Lucian's advice1579 words
More by Lucian of Samosata
English translation by H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler (1905). Original text: A. M. Harmon (ed.), Lucian, vol. III, Loeb Classical Library, London: William Heinemann; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1921 (Greek text as digitised by Perseus).
Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library, Greek text); translation public domain. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.
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Lucian of Samosata. "The Ignorant Book-Collector." Translated by H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler (1905). GreekMythology.com, 05 Oct. 2026, https://www.greekmythology.com/sources/lucian/the-ignorant-book-collector. Accessed 05 October 2026.
Lucian of Samosata. (2026, October 05). The Ignorant Book-Collector (H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler, Trans.). GreekMythology.com. https://www.greekmythology.com/sources/lucian/the-ignorant-book-collector
Lucian of Samosata. "The Ignorant Book-Collector." Translated by H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler (1905). GreekMythology.com, October 05, 2026. https://www.greekmythology.com/sources/lucian/the-ignorant-book-collector.
