Boccace

1597 · rif. 798 — Amsterdam: Cornille Claesz 1597. Early French edition. A rare late-16th century French edition of Boccaccio’s Decameron one of the foundational works of Western literature and a cornerstone of Renaissance humanist storytelling. First written in the 14th century the Decameron comprises one hundred novellas told by ten young Florentines sheltering outside the city during the Black Death. The tales range from romantic and tragic to humorous erotic moral and political forming one of the most influential narrative sequences in European literary history. This 1597 Amsterdam printing uses the celebrated French translation of Antoine Le Maçon court favorite of Francis I and is a corrected and illustrated edition compared to earlier printings making it an important early Continental witness to the French reception of Boccaccio. This volume would be an exceptional addition for collectors of Renaissance literature early printing French editions of classics plague-era narratives and works pivotal in shaping Chaucer Shakespeare Molière Balzac and countless authors thereafter. Internally the text remains highly readable with its original period typeface early pagination woodcut ornaments and decorative printer’s devices at title and colophon. The closing leaf states FIN with an ornamental tailpiece consistent with 16th-century printing conventions. Includes the full cycle of tales including stories of love cleverness vice clergy satire virtue rewarded and the social wit that earned Boccaccio both admiration and censorship for centuries. Condition & Binding: Period full leather binding with raised bands and gilt spine ornamentation well-worn with rubbing and losses spine cracking and some leather deterioration see photos. Both boards present but detached/separated. Overall- poor. Cornille Claesz unknown