The Divine Comedy of Dante (1902)

S$194.00

The Divine Comedy of Dante (1902)

S$194.00

Title: The Divine Comedy; or, Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise of Dante Alighieri
Author: Dante Alighieri, Rev Henry Francis Cary (trans)
Publisher: JM Dent & Co, 1902. Third edition of The Temple Classics series. Scarce edition.
Condition: Hardcover, decorated vellum. In good condition. Covers have some fading of decorations, but interior is firmly bound, clean.

A scarce Temple Classics edition with all three complete volumes of The Divine Comedy (Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise) bound together in sturdy vellum. Small, thick book, looks medieval.

About The Divine Comedy:

The Divine Comedy is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preëminent work of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature. The poem’s imaginative and allegorical vision of the afterlife is a culmination of the medieval world-view as it had developed in the Western Church. It is divided into three parts, the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.

On the surface the poem describes Dante’s travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven; but at a deeper level it represents allegorically the soul’s journey towards God. At this deeper level, Dante draws on medieval Christian theology and philosophy, especially the writings of Thomas Aquinas.

The poem is written in the first person, and tells of Dante’s journey through the three realms of the dead, lasting from the night before Good Friday to the Wednesday after Easter in the spring of 1300. The Roman poet Virgil guides him through Hell and Purgatory; Beatrice, Dante’s ideal woman, guides him through Heaven.

More at wikipedia.