The Divine comedy of Dante Alighieri / translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow [in three volumes: I. Inferno. II. Purgatorio. III. Paradiso] by [LONGFELLOW, Henry Wadsworth, translates] Dante Alighieri - 1867

Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1867. First Edition thus. Cloth. Near Fine+. First American Edition "of the first complete, and in many respects still the best, English translation of The Divine Comedy." (Luzzi) With bibliographical and critical notes. The translation in each volume is preceded by two of Longfellow's sonnets on translating the epic poem. Royal octavo (248 x 170mm): vii,[5],414; vi,[4],410; vi,[4],452pp. Publisher's original green C cloth, beveled boards, spines and upper covers lettered in gilt, top edges gilt, fore- and bottom edges untrimmed, chocolate-colored coated fly end papers, titles pages in red and black, faded contemporary gift inscription on front fly leaves, dated December 25, 1869. An excellent, wide-margined set with only light wear and soiling to cloth; minor rubbing and wear to bindings, text blocks free of foxing and tightly bound. BAL 12139,12146. Chamberlain, p. 67-69, 71-73, 75. Chew XXV. Each volume of the translation was originally printed in a private issue of 10 copies between 1865 and 1867. For the first published edition, the translation was revised and notes and an index were added. Between April 13 and September 27, 1867, four printings went through the presses. Our three volume set comprises a second or third printing (p. 223, note 116 reads: Vedrai gli antichi spiriti dolenti; text ends on p. 414 followed by blank leaf), a second, third, or fourth printing (p. 350, note 32 reads: It will be observed that Dante), Variant C (text ends on p. 410 followed by two blanks and a fly leaf), and an undetermined printing with first state of copyright notice (the "H" in "Henry" is set beneath the first "c" in "according"). Longfellow spent several years translating the poem. To help perfect the translation and review proofs, he invited friends to weekly meetings, starting in 1864. The "Dante Club," as it was called, regularly included William Dean Howells, James Russell Lowell, and Charles Eliot Norton. Longfellow "succeeded in capturing the original brilliance of Dante's lines with a close, sometimes awkwardly literal translation that allows the Tuscan to shine through the English . . . Longfellow's English indeed comes across as Italianate: in surrendering to the letter and spirit of Dante's Tuscan, he loses the quirks and perks of his mother tongue." (Joseph Luzzi, "How to Read Dante in the 21st Century," The American Scholar, Web exclusive, March 22, 2016) N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, carefully preserved in archival, removable polypropylene sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed.