Dante's The Divine Comedy - Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso

This luxurious hardback edition presents Dante's celebrated work, The Divine Comedy, with opulent gold cover embossing, striking illustrated page edges and 135 classic illustrations by Gustave Doré.

Dante's Divine Comedy is regarded as a masterpiece of medieval literature, telling the story of Dante's descent into hell, his journey through purgatory and eventual ascent into heaven, with Virgil as his guide. Along with stirring adventures and boundless imagination are Dante's reflections on spirituality and the nature of faith and reason in the world.

From the pilgrim's deepening insight into the workings of evil and moral choice (Hell) through to the dramatization of the nature and purpose of moral conversion (Purgatory) to the blissfully mystical ascent before God (Paradise), Dante's cosmic vision remains unparalleled.

This beautiful hardback edition, with gold foil accents and stunning printed edges, includes Henry W. Longfellow's classic translation, 135 magnificent, full-page illustrations by Gustave Doré and a brilliant introduction by Anna Amari-Parker, full of accessible analysis of Dante's allegorical tale.

ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Epic Classics brings together stunning hardback gift editions of classic works, presented with striking illustrated page edges and illustrated throughout by such greats as Gustave Doré and Harry Clarke.

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) was a poet and politician. Born into a noble Florentine family in a city torn apart by rival clans, Dante became embroiled in this sectarianism and was banished from the city in 1302. He wrote Divine Comedy while in exile and this translation is by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the American lyric poet.

Gustave Doré (1832-1883) was a French artist and illustrator who worked primarily with wood-engraving. His famed illustrations include those for Milton's Paradise Lost, Dante's Divine Comedy and Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) is considered one of the most widely known and best-loved American poets of the 19th century. Born into a Portland, Maine, he was the first American to earn a living solely as a poet and was also the first American to translate Dante's Divine Comedy into English. He travelled in Europe extensively and took a seat as Smith Professor of Modern Languages at Harvard University.