Vintage Limited Editions Club, The Decameron 1940, Two Complete Volumes

Description: The Limited Editions Club, Inc. of New York published this limited edition set of 530 copies in 1940, with a cloth-bound cover on boards with a leather spine inscribed in gold with the title, volume, and embellishments. The set is beautifully illustrated with black and white illustrations and embellishments, and the tops of the pages on both volumes were assigned a gold finish. The set "closely follows the first translation into English...made by a contemporary of William Shakespeare and first published in 1620." The illustrations and embellishments were all cut in wood by Fritz Kredel, who signed the second volume. This edition was designed by George Macy and printed by the Duenewald Printing Corporation on rag paper specially made and watermarked by the Worthy Paper Company and bound by the Rusell-Rutter Company. While the paper is tanned, it's a debate whether the tanning occurred uniformly due to age, or if it was the paper designed for this edition. This set is #364 out of 530. Structured as a frame story, this two-volume series comprises 100 tales narrated by a group of seven young women and three young men seeking refuge from the Black Death in a secluded villa near Florence. Boccaccio likely conceived the Decameron in the aftermath of the 1348 epidemic and completed it around 1353. Within its pages, an assortment of stories about love unfolds, spanning the spectrum from the sensual to the tragic. These tales, brimming with wit, pranks, and moral lessons, come together to form a vibrant mosaic. Beyond its literary significance and far-reaching influence (notably on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales), the Decameron serves as a valuable historical document, providing insights into the lives of the time. Written in the vernacular Florentine language, it stands as a remarkable masterpiece of early Italian prose in the classical tradition. There is a bit of rubbing on both spines as shown in photos. Also, a water stain on the outside edges of volume II that did not extend to the inside pages. See photos, again, for details. I'll be happy to supply more photos if needed. The books are 10 1/2 inches x 7 5/8" and both are 1 inch deep. Volume I contains 237 pages, and volume 2 starts at 238 and ends at 536. While slipcases were issued with the two volumes, this set is missing that luxury. However, the books are well protected, stored in a non-smoking environment and protected by acid-free archival tissue paper in a Lineco Museum Archival Drop-Front Storage Box, Acid-Free with Metal Edges. Free shipping and insurance.

Price: 450 USD

Location: La Grange, Kentucky

End Time: 2024-02-09T13:18:16.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD