One of my biggest hobbies is reading, and I am pretty sure it comes from my parents who are both heavy readers. I grew up with a room covered in bookshelves, so how could I not love reading?!
My father has a huge collection of books, covering almost every genre. Most of those books are somehow like a legacy, from his grandfather to his father, from my grandfather to my father and one day, they will be mine.
Every time I visit them, like now...I made a habit to just spend some time in the library. Here is a small part of the library..
As a child, my favorite books were always those with pretty pictures..especially 3 in particular. I still remember when I first took the books out of the library..the smell, the heaviness, my fingers running over the engraved pages, over the letter-pressed writing and the illustrations...the amazing illustration that looked alive. And I am talking about these 3 books:
These books were a gift to my father from his grandfather. They were published in 1865 and contain illustrations by Gustave Doré.
Gustave Doré, decided in 1855, to create a series of engravings for an edition of Dante's classic. For the first book, Inferno he had to pay himself the publishing cost, and when it came out in 1861, it sold out fast. Purgatorio and Paradiso were published later in 1868 as a single volume. That of course did not stop other publishers to use the illustrations.
I wanted to share with everyone, one of my dearest memories and my favorite books...whether is because of my passion for reading, or because of the amazing illustrations or simply because I was young and it left an impression I couldn't say...but the books are amazing.
Because I wanted to show all the illustrations I am going to show them in parts...so today I'll post only Inferno in order of appearance in the book plus some details about the book itself. Please excuse the sometimes not so good quality. My phone sucks sometimes.
Proof:
Inferno
Please observe the amazing printing technique.
And here we have one of the first illustration by Doré.
Non è snza cagion l'andare al cupo:
Vuolsi cosi nell alto, ove Michele
Fé la vendetta del superbo strupo.
INFERNO, Canto VII, Terzina 4
And more to come...
Quivi sospiri, pianti, e alti guai
Risonavan per l’aer senza stelle:
Perch’io, al cominciar, ne lagrimai.
INFERNO , Canto III, Terzina 8
Mentre ch'i' ruinava in bafso loco ,
Dinanzi agli occhi mi si fu offerto
Chi per lungo silenzio parea fioco.
INFERNO, Canto 1, Terzina 21
Here we have on a single page 4 illustrations
Same here , 4 illustrations on a single page.
Cotal di quel burrato era la scesa.
E 'n su la punta della rotta lacca
L'infamia di Creti era distesa,
INFERNO, Canto XII, Terzina 4
La bocca mi baciò tutto tremante.
Galeotto fu 'l libro, e chi lo scrifse.
Quel giorno più non vi leggemmo avante.
INFERNO, Canto V, Terzina 46
Again, we have 4 small illustrations on a single page..
Quell'è l'anima antica
Di Mirra scellerata, che divenne
Al padre, fuor del dritto amore, amica.
INFERNO, Canto XXX, Terzina 13
Ed ecco verso noi venir per nave
Un vecchio, bianco per antico pelo,
Gridando: Guai a voi, anime prave!
INFERNO, Canto III, Terzina 28
Quando diritto appiè del ponte fue,
Levò 'l braccio alto, con tutta la testa,
Per appresfsarne le parole sue.
INFERNO, Canto XXVIII, Terzina 43
Poscia che fummo al quarto dì venuti,
Gaddo mi si gittò disteso a' piedi,
Dicendo: "Padre mio, ché non mi aiuti? „
INFERNO, Canto XXXIII, Terzina 23
Due branche avea, pilose infin l'ascelle;
Lo dofso e 'l petto, e ambedue le coste
Dipinte avea di nodi e di rotelle.
INFERNO, Canto XVII, Terzina 5
Io stava come 'l frate che confefsa
Lo perfido afsefsin, . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . .
INFERNO, Canto XIX, Terzina 17
Salimmo sù, ei primo, ed io secondo;
Tanto ch’i’ vidi delle cose belle
Che porta ’l ciel per un pertugio tondo.
INFERNO, Canto XXXIV, Terzina 46
End of first book INFERNO
Thank you and I hope you enjoyed this small incursion into one of my favorite books. Stay tuned for the next part and don't forget to follow me .