Boccace

1925 · 335 — Paris: René Kieffer 1925. Limited Edition. Fine. Alfred Le Petit. 4to 20 x 6 1/2 inches 250 x 167 mm; pp. iv 170 iv; copy no. 131 of 500 printed on "vélin de cuve" hand-made paper. Bound in three quarter blue-green crushed levant BINDING BY RENÉ KIEFFER Paris embossed bindery label tipped-in to front free endpaper raised bands gilt title and gilt decorations on spine marbled endpapers; t.e.g. rest uncut. Original paper wrapper and spine bound in. Binding and interiors in FINE condition. 50 color illustrations in bright fine condition plus color tail-pieces and initials. This beautifully-bound and illustrated Kieffer edition of Boccaccio presents a selection of 12 among the spiciest and wittiest stories from the Decameron and accompanies them with equally spicy and colorful illustrations by Alfred Le Petit.<br /> GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO 1313-1375 is considered one of the foremost writers of the 14th century whose most notable work THE DECAMERON from the Greek tenday is a collection of 100 short tales told in Tuscan vernacular by ten youths who repaired to a villa just outside of Florence to avoid the plague Black Death 1348 which was ravaging the city. For entertainment every night each told a story: love stories ranging from the erotic to the tragic tales of wit and deception practical jokes and life lessons. The book is sometimes dubbed "Umana commedia" human comedy and was very influential both in Italy and outside -The Canterbury Tales for example. <br /> ALFRED LE PETIT 1841-1909 was a French painter caricaturist and photographer known for his anti-clerical and satirical cartoons which were published in various pro-republic anti Napoleon III journals of the day. René Kieffer unknown