Dante's Inferno: Translated by The Rev. Francis Cary, M.A.

A RARE AND STUNNING 19TH-CENTURY VICTORIAN-ERA EDITION OF DANTE'S INFERNO, NOW 140+ YEARS OLD & IN EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION
A LARGE EDITION THAT WEIGHS 5LBS 2.5 OUNCES AND IS 21.5'' WING TO WING, "MUCH BIGGER THAN IT APPEARS IN PHOTOS." 13-1/4" X 10-1/2"
THIS BOOK HAS THE FULL COLLECTION OF MASTER ARTIST GUSTAVE DORE'S ETCHINGS
IT IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION AND INCLUDES ALL 70 FULL-PAGE STEEL PLATE ARTWORKS, ALL VERY WELL-PRESERVED
TRANSLATED DIRECTLY FROM THE 15TH-CENTURY MANUSCRIPTS
I HAVE INCLUDED THE COPYWRITE DATA FOR THIS BOOK PER THE GOOGLE BOOKS LITERARY ARCHIVES, AS SEEN IN PHOTO #10; I ALSO HAVE THE ORIGINAL ADVERTISEMENT FOR IT FROM THE MARCH 1883 EDITION OF THE GENTLEMAN MAGAZINE ADVISER.

I have owned just about every known printing of this large-sized Inferno book from the 19th century, and this is without question one of the most beautiful and well-preserved printings I have ever had on my shelf. When it comes to large folio editions of the 1800's, this is without question the nicest I have ever seen. This edition contains a marvelous collection of Gustave Dore's etchings, with 70. "Most editions only have a few, and some have upwards of 60." The other rarity of this book would be the condition of the pages; they are very beautiful and some of the most well-kept I have seen for a 19th-century edition. Books of this stature and quality are no longer made. 99% of these large-sized editions I have found have issues with the pages pulling away from the spine because of the weight; luckily, this book is still exceptionally solid (about as tight and strong as you can get.) Beginning in the early 1900s, some other editions of this book were released that were smaller in size, had fewer illustrations, and were printed in somewhat poor quality. This is one of the most coveted cover illustrations released for any edition of Dante's Inferno. I would snag this one before it's gone.

Although this book lacks a print date, "as most of these did from the publisher," I have found a slew of the original documents to verify its print date of 1883. It was printed by Cassell, Petter, & Galpin, who started publishing books from 1878 until 1883 and afterward changed their name to Cassell & Company. I have recovered some of the following documents: This book was listed in the 1883 edition of The Continent Volume 3. The Google Books literary archives show that the publisher also released Hell, Puragtory, & Paradise in the same year. The March 1883 printing of The Gentleman's Advertiser also shows its release in 1883: The Google Books literary copywrite database shows this was published in 1883 as well; see photo #10. It is also listed in the Nov 23rd, 1882 Edition of "The Nation," advertising its upcoming release. The Sunday School Times Volumes 24-26 of 1882 also show an upcoming release of it. It was also documented in The Publishers Weekly, Volume 22, 1882.

John Cassell was relegated to being a junior partner after becoming insolvent in 1858, the firm being known as Cassell, Petter & Galpin. With the arrival of a new partner, Robert Turner, in 1878, it became Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Company. Galpin was an astute business manager. George Lock, the founder of Ward Lock, another publishing house, was Galpin's first cousin. Petter retired in 1883, and afterward, the company became Cassell and Company, Ltd. "The company expanded well until 1888 when Petter died, Galpin retired from managing directorship, and Turner became chairman."

Review of this exact edition from the The Continent, Volume 3, 1883
"Dore has seldom produced work more representative of his peculiar power and scope than the illustrations to Dante's Inferno.
Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co. have published them in quarto form, with the Rev. Henry Francis Cary's translation, the present edition having critical and explanatory notes, a life of Dante, and chronology."

A review of this exact edition is listed in The 1882 edition of The American Bookseller: A Semi-monthly Journal Devoted to the Interests of the Book, Stationery, News, and Music Trades.
"Dante's Inferno. Of all the gift books issued this season, few are more handsome than the new edition of Dante's Inferno, from the press of Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co. The translation used is that of the Rev. Henry Francis Cary, M. A., with extended critical and explanatory notes, a life of the poet, and chronology. The translation is too well known to need any comment. It is in the illustrations that the great attraction lies, and the designs of M. Gustave Doré, which have been reproduced with remarkable skill and beauty. Doré's magic hand has a wonderful cunning in making a scene live before you.
With a few touches of his inimitable pencil, he almost makes them speak."

The Divine Comedy (Italian: Divina Commedia [diˈviːna komˈmɛːdja]) is a long Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun c. 1308 and completed in 1320, a year before his death in 1321. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of world literature. The poem's imaginative vision of the afterlife is representative of the medieval worldview as it had developed in the Western Church by the 14th century. In addition, it helped establish the Tuscan language, in which it is written, as the standardized Italian language. It is divided into three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.

The Sept. 16th, 1882 edition of The Publishers Weekly Volume 22 has an advertisement by the publisher where this book was listed at $10, a hefty sum for the 19th century! It is also listed in the 1883 printing of "The Continent." John Cassell was relegated to being a junior partner after becoming insolvent in 1858, the firm being known as Cassell, Petter & Galpin. With the arrival of a new partner, Robert Turner, in 1878, it became Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Company. Galpin was an astute business manager. George Lock, the founder of Ward Lock, another publishing house, was Galpin's first cousin.
Petter retired in 1883, and the company became Cassell and Company, Ltd. "The company expanded well until 1888 when Petter died, Galpin retired from managing directorship, and Turner became chairman."

The overall condition of this book is very good, considering it's well over a century in the making. It does have some normal aging and shelf wear. The covers and spine display beautifully. The interior pages are naturally age-toned and will contain the occasional age spot here and there. It's an ancient book, so it is not new; however, it's one of the nicest I have ever owned or seen.

The narrative takes as its literal subject the state of souls after death and presents an image of divine justice meted out as due punishment or reward, and describes Dante's travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise or Heaven, while allegorically the poem represents the soul's journey towards God, beginning with the recognition and rejection of sin (Inferno), followed by the penitent Christian life (Purgatorio), which is then followed by the soul's ascent to God (Paradiso). Dante draws on medieval Roman Catholic theology and philosophy, especially Thomistic philosophy derived from the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas. Consequently, the Divine Comedy has been called "the Summa in verse." In Dante's work, the pilgrim Dante is accompanied by three guides: Virgil (who represents human reason), Beatrice (who represents divine revelation, theology, faith, and grace), and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (who represents contemplative mysticism and devotion to Mary). Erich Auerbach said Dante was the first writer to depict human beings as the products of a specific time, place, and circumstance as opposed to mythic archetypes or a collection of vices and virtues; this, along with the fully imagined world of "The Divine Comedy", different from our own but fully visualized, suggests that the Divine Comedy could be said to have inaugurated modern fiction[citation needed].

The work was originally titled Comedìa (pronounced [komeˈdiːa]; so also in the first printed edition, published in 1472), Tuscan for "Comedy," later adjusted to the modern Italian Commedia. Giovanni Boccaccio added the adjective Divina. The first edition to name the poem Divina Comedia in the title was that of the Venetian humanist Lodovico Dolce, published in 1555 by Gabriele Giolito de Ferrari.