(Decameron). Il Libro di Messer Giovanni Boccaccio ... il Decameron ... &c
Ashendene Press. Boccaccio, Giovanni
Essex House, Chelsea. Nella Stamperia Ashendenia. (Ashendene Press). 1920
An excellent unsophisticated copy of the Ashendene 'Decameron' with the original subscription announcement.
From the edition limited to 111 copies, with this one of 105 on paper and one of 80 in linen-backed boards announced for sale; six copies were issued on vellum.
The Ashendene 'Decameron', a beautiful printed book, is noteworthy for the exquisite initials by Graily Hewitt; while the majority are in blue, the opening initial 'Q' in the introduction in red, is superlative.
The subscription announcement, in red and black recto only in Subiaco type on a leaf of paper matching that of the book (258 x 172 mm), details the printing and delays and notes that thebook 'is in uniform size with the folio edition of Dante issued from the same Press in 1909'; the announcement also notes that 'all books previously issued from the Ashendene Press are now out of print.'
The printing for this volume - the colophon in Italian details this - was commenced in October 1913 but was interrupted by World War I and the book was not completed until December 1920.
'La stampa di questo libro cominciata nel mese di Ottobre dell' anno 1913, poi dall' infausta guerra mondiale per più di quattro anni interrotta, su ripresa nei primo giorni dell' anno 1920 & su nel mese di Dicembre dello stesso anno felicemente terminata per opera & spese di me St John Hornby nella mia Stamperia privata a Shelley House, Chelsea, Inghilterra.' (From the colophon).Only 80 copies on paper were offered for sale and another 6 copies were printed on vellum.
The full title reads as follows: 'Il Libro di Messer Giovanni Boccaccio Cittadino Fiorentino Chiamato il Decameron Cognominato Prencipe Galeotto nel Quale Si Contengono Cento Novelle in DIeci di Dette da Sette Donne e da Tre Giovani Uomini.'
[Ashendene XXIX; Franklin pg. 239].
From the edition limited to 111 copies, with this one of 105 on paper and one of 80 in linen-backed boards announced for sale; six copies were issued on vellum.
The Ashendene 'Decameron', a beautiful printed book, is noteworthy for the exquisite initials by Graily Hewitt; while the majority are in blue, the opening initial 'Q' in the introduction in red, is superlative.
The subscription announcement, in red and black recto only in Subiaco type on a leaf of paper matching that of the book (258 x 172 mm), details the printing and delays and notes that thebook 'is in uniform size with the folio edition of Dante issued from the same Press in 1909'; the announcement also notes that 'all books previously issued from the Ashendene Press are now out of print.'
The printing for this volume - the colophon in Italian details this - was commenced in October 1913 but was interrupted by World War I and the book was not completed until December 1920.
'La stampa di questo libro cominciata nel mese di Ottobre dell' anno 1913, poi dall' infausta guerra mondiale per più di quattro anni interrotta, su ripresa nei primo giorni dell' anno 1920 & su nel mese di Dicembre dello stesso anno felicemente terminata per opera & spese di me St John Hornby nella mia Stamperia privata a Shelley House, Chelsea, Inghilterra.' (From the colophon).Only 80 copies on paper were offered for sale and another 6 copies were printed on vellum.
The full title reads as follows: 'Il Libro di Messer Giovanni Boccaccio Cittadino Fiorentino Chiamato il Decameron Cognominato Prencipe Galeotto nel Quale Si Contengono Cento Novelle in DIeci di Dette da Sette Donne e da Tre Giovani Uomini.'
[Ashendene XXIX; Franklin pg. 239].
[194 leaves including blanks; pp. xii, 360]. Folio. (420 x 294 mm). Printed title, four leaf with contents in red and black, 'Proemio' and 'Introduzione' with headlines in blue and large initials in red and Boccaccio's text in double columns in Italian in Subiaco type in red and black throughout, initials in blue, shoulder notes in red, final leaf with colophon in Italian; with 109 initial letters designed by Grailly Hewitt in total of which 10 are printed in red and the remainder in blue or dark blue. Original publisher's linen-backed blue paper boards, white paper label with printed titles in black to spine.
#48577
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