Beschreibung:

Title: The Divina Commedia of Dante Alighieri: Consisting of the Inferno - Purgatorio - and Paradiso Author: Dante Alighieri Place: London Publisher: Printed by A. Strahan for T. Cadell jun. and W. Davies Date: 1802 Description: 3 volumes. vi, [2], 408; [2], 384; [2], 420 pp. Translated into English verse, with preliminary essays, notes, and illustrations, by the Rev. Henry Boyd. Stipple-engraved frontispiece portrait, engraved by R.H. Cromek after T. Stothard. (8vo) 23.3x14 cm (9¼x5½"), period full red straight-grain morocco with wide geometric gilt-roll borders on each cover, spines tooled & lettered in gilt, raised bands, gilt inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt; with modern custom-made folding cloth box. First edition in English of the complete text. Important first edition in English of the greatest of all works of Renaissance Italian literature, written in the early fourteenth century. While Boyd had published his translation of the Inferno in 1785, the present edition is the first printing of both the Purgatorio and the Paradisio, as well as of the whole work collectively in English. The present copy, handsomely bound in full red morocco, is larger than most, and perhaps a large paper copy, as noted in pencil on the front flyleaf of Volume 1 - it measures 23.3 cm tall, and all the copies listed in OCLC/WorldCat are 22 cm tall. There is an old ink ownership signature to the title page of Volume 1. A superlative copy of an important book, rarely found in such binding and size Lot Amendments Condition: Spines a bit darkened due to age, some mild rubbing to joints and extremities; light foxing to endpapers and elsewhere. Essentially a handsome copy. Item number: 271613a