(London: Henry G. Bohn, 1860).

A BEAUTIFUL COPY OF THIS HIGHLY IMPORTANT TRANSLATION OF DANTE INTO ENGLISH. Cary’s famous translation has long been considered the first modern rendering of Dante’s timeless epic into English. While previous English translations prior to Cary’s had been accomplished in the 18th century, none were able to transfer into the English language, the beauty and richness of language for which Dante has forever been revered.
It took Cary many years to make the complete translation. Indeed, the parts of the COMEDY were released over a number of years from 1805 on. Cary was influenced greatly by the Romantics and by Coleridge in particular. Though the text was finished in mid-1812, Cary was unable to secure a publisher and was, after some years, obliged even with his very modest means to publish the work at his own expense. It at first excited little attention, but it came under great notice primarily because of the applause of Coleridge whom Cary had met while pacing the beach reading Homer to his son. ‘Sir,’ said Coleridge, attracted by the sound of the Greek, ‘yours is a face I should know. I am Samuel Taylor Coleridge.’ “During the rest of the day, the wondrous stranger discoursed on Homer making young Cary ‘feel as one from whose eyes the scales were just removed,’ and in the evening carried home the translation of Dante, of which he had never even heard. The next day he was able to repeat whole pages, and his winter course of lectures gave it celebrity. The new and first edition published by a general publisher was secured in 1819, and ever since,...it has remained the translation which, on Dante’s name being mentioned, occurs first to the mind.”. Item #25289

A very early printing of the new corrected edition of the first modern translation of Dante into English. Additionally, in this edition is affixed a Life of Dante, Chronological view of his age, Notes and an Index. With an engraved frontispiece of Dante Alighieri. 8vo, in a very handsome contemporary binding of three quarter tan calf over green textured cloth, the back and corner-pieces tooled in blind, the spine with multi-ruled and dashed raised bands additionally ruled with a wave-like tool, one compartment with a salmon morocco label gilt ruled and lettered, page edges speckled. xlviii, 543 pp. A very fine copy, beautifully preserved in every way, a lovely and appealing printing in an equally lovely binding.