D. G. Rossetti’s cover for Dante’s ‘The New Life’

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Cloth binding for ‘The New Life’

D. G. Rossetti

1905

Cloth binding gilt

6 x 4 inches

Though eclipsed by his sister Christina in the twentieth century, Dante Rossetti’s poems and translations were hugely popular among late Victorian and Edwardian readers. This small volume is a cheap edition of his accomplished translation of Dante and is embellished with a motif from his revolutionary cover design for his Poems of 1870. [Commentary continues below.]

Scan and text by Simon Cooke [Click on image to enlarge it, and mouse over the text for links.]

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Ellis & Elvey published this earlier book and presumably still had possession of the original brass die that was used to impress Rossetti’s elegant floral design into the covers. The presence of an edited version of that design was a significant uplift for the publishers’ cheap Edwardian tome, endowing it with a sense of appealing luxuriousness and sophistication.

Bibliography

Alighieri, Dante.The New Life. Translated by D. G. Rossetti. London: Ellis & Elvey, 1905.

Rossetti, Dante Gabriel. Poems. London: Ellis & Elvey, 1870.

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Created 14 May 2022