The Divine Comedy of Dante: Inferno, Purgatory & Paradise

S$290.00

The Divine Comedy of Dante: Inferno, Purgatory & Paradise

S$290.00

Title: The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso
Author: Dante Alighieri, John Ciardi (trans), Gustav Doré (illus)
Publisher: The Franklin Library, 1977. A Limited Edition, part of The 100 Greatest Books of All Time series.
Condition: Hardcover. Full burgundy leather, gilt to all edges, spine, and boards. Very good. Slight scratching to gilt, barely noticeable rubbing to spine. White mark to bottom edge. 800 pages, 9.5″ x 7″ and very heavy – overseas shipping will cost more.

Note: This edition features the incredible illustrations of Gustav Doré, which can be seen and read about here.

This book features:

  • Full burgundy top-grade leather binding
  • Genuine 22k gold gilt to all edges, boards, spine, and back
  • Silk endsheets
  • Satin bookmark, sewn-in
  • Hubbed spine with raised bands
  • Smyth-sewn binding for durability
  • Premium acid-neutral archival paper that will not yellow

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.