<span>Caption: "Aeschylus, (525-456 B.C.), the first great writer of tragedies, is distinguished not only for the epic sweep of his plays, their exalted dialogue and fine characterization, but also for his daring and epoch-making innovations. Today Aeschylus would be the answer to Gordon Craig's prayer for a super-man in the theatre. Aeschylus not only was a play-wright and an actor but he also trained the choruses in their singing and dancing; added mechanical accessories; used expressive masks; added and additional actor to complement the chorus; and, most significant, his plays, for the first time, dealt with contemporary scenes. One legend tells us that once, when young Aeschylus was asleep, Dionysius appeared to him in a dream and ordered him to compose tragedies. He started to write the next morning and "succeeded very easily." He won, in all, thirteen first honors in the </span><span>great contests. Another legend tells us that Aeschylus met his death when an eagle mistook his bald head for a rock and dropped a tortoise on it. The scholar-printer Adrian Turnebus, born in Normandy in 1512, had reached such proficiency in the learned languages at the early age of nine that he surpasses his preceptors. Later, many contemporary German professors, after citing him as an authority in their lectures, always touched their hats in token of respect. Montaigne was fond of interrogating Turnebus in the Boswellian manner. Turnebus at various times served as a professor of Greek and of philosophy, in addition to following the profession of "Typographus Regius." This edition of Aeschylus printed by Turnebus was particularly valued for the accuracy of the text. In it he corrected the notoriously inaccurate Aldine issue."Original Leaves from Famous BooksOtto F. Ege Collection</span>
