The Decameron, Or Ten Days Entertainment

Undated but likely 1878 (the date on the publisher's catalogue which appears at the end of the volume). xiv, 538pp, 40pp. In brown cloth-covered boards with gilt motif and blind rules, gilt titles on spine. Brown endpapers. Illustrated title page. Tissue-guarded frontispiece and ten further plate illustrations. 12mo. Cloth rubbed all round edges, corners rounded, lightly cracked and frayed on ends of a sunned spine, with minor loss at spine head. Front hinge cracked. Some rusting on prelims, tissue guard is spotted. A collection of short stories by the 14th century Giovanni Boccaccio, structured as a frame story containing 100 tales, ranging from the erotic to the tragic, told by a group of young people sheltering in an ancient villa on the outskirts of 14th century Florence. Widely considered a masterpiece of early Italian prose. A lovely vintage volume with the patina of age and use, verging on fragile. Translated into English with an introduction by Thomas Wright. Stothard, T Stories, Classic Literature, Italian Prose, Short stories,