THE NURSE, A POEM by Tansillo, Luigi - 1800

London: J. M. McCreery, For Cadell and Davies, 1800. Second Edition. Hardcover. Good. 16mo; 31, 89, 34 pages, full calf, extra-gilt spine, covers and spine very rubbed, marbled endpapers Tansillo was a highly respected poet and sonnetteer by his contemporaries, and arguably a better lyrical poet than Petrarch himself. But, rather few of his writings appeared in his lifetime, and not a few of them were put on the Index Expurgatorius by Pope Pius IV. This text, LA BALIA, was translated from the Italian by William Roscoe, based in the iItalian edition edited by Giovanni Antonia Ranza: Ranza is credited with most of the "Notes" in the final section. Roscoe contributed an Introduction, a sonnet, and a closing poem, "Inscription". This bi-lingual edition has the texts on facing pages. The poem presents a good view of the customs and state of society at Italy in the 16th century. The handsome wood engravings: a title-page vignette, one before each canto, one at the head of the Inscription, and a small… Read More

New York: John Furman, 1800. Hardcover. Near Fine. Translated by William Roscoe. "Re-printed for William Cobbett." 30, 44, 34 p.; 14 cm. (18mo). Signatures: A-I6. Contemporary binding: half speckled calf with marbled paper over boards. Gilt rules on spine; black morocco spine label with gilt-tooled title: The Nurse. All page edges speckled. English translation only, from Roscoe's bilingual edition of 1798. Includes Roscoe's introduction on the life and works of Tansillo, largely adapted from G.A. Ranza's Italian edition of 1767, with Latin passages from book 12 of the Noctes Atticae of Aulus Gellius. Evans, 38604. In Near Fine Condition: corners rubbed; pages are clean and tight. An attractive early 19th-century binding.

London: Cadell and Davies, Strand, 1798. Book. Fair. Hardcover. The red cloth binding appears modern, 67 pages with notes lacking Roscoe's last four leaves, the first few pages are becoming fragile, still very collectible. Translated by William Roscoe. Ruhrah, pp. 486-490 reproducing the title page of this edition, not in Grulee. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.