DANTE

LA DIVINA COMMEDIA
DANTE ALIGHIERI

1807, Livorno

DANTE ALIGHIERI.

La Divina Commedia… gia ridotta a miglior lezione dagli Accademici della Crusca ed ora accuratamente emendata, ed accresciuta di varie lezione tratte da un antichissimo codice.

Livorno: Tommaso Masi & Co., with the types of bondoni, 1807

3 volumes,actavo (214 x 142 mm). Bound by C. Lewis (signed in blind at foot of front pastedown, vol. 1) in contemporary green straight-grain morocco, covers with wide vine in glint enclosed by two-line blind borders, spines with wide raised bands, first and last compartments richly gilt, others gilt-lettered direct, decorative gilt roll to turn-ins, yellow ochre endpapers, gilt edges. Portrait of Dante engraved by Raffaello Morghen after Stefano Tofanelli as frontispiece to vol. 3, engraved diagram of inferno by R. Spadaccini. Ownership inscription of Mary Bligh, the gift of her uncle Edward, 1819 to front free endpaper in vol. 1; inscriptions of John Taylor Coleridge, 1838, to other volumes. A little rubbing to extremities, occasional light foxing, an excellent copy.

A handsomely bound set of the Leghorn edition of Geatano Poggiali (1753-1814): ‘’Edizione molto pregiata per la correzione e la nitidezza procuarata dal celebre bibliofilo’’ (Gamba). The first volume contains the Inferno, the second Purgatorio and Paradiso, and the third volume has Paggiali’s life of Dante and commentary. A fourth volume of additional commentary (‘’le annoziona alle due ultime cantiche’’) was published later, in 1813. Charles Lewis (1786-1836) was ‘’unquestionably London’s leading binder,’’ This set from the library of Sir John front blanks recording the price of the set at one guinea Montague Place, 1 January 1838. Coleridge had gained an apetite for Italian Literature on his grand tour in 1814.