1799 – Orlando Furiosa by Ludovico Ariosto | English 5 Volume Set, Illustrated

Furious Orlando is an early 16th-century Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which tells the chivalric story of Roland, a medieval knight in the 8th-century – the most prized of all of Charlemagne’s knight. Roland must defend himself against sorcerers, magic, and enchantments, evil kings, and bouts of love, which Orlando himself calls a form of insanity! It is one of the most influential works in the whole of European literature and has been known to have an influence on Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene as well as several Jean de la Fontaine’s tales.

This 1799 English five-volume edition was translated into English by John Hoole and features numerous full-page engravings and in-text vignettes.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Orlando Furioso
• Author(s): Ludovico Ariosto
• Contributor(s): John Hoole (Translator)
• Publisher: London, Printed for Otridge and Son
• Edition: New Edition, 1799
• Format: (8vo), five-volume set
• Binding: Full leather
• Size:  8.75 in x 5.5 in (22.2 cm x 14 cm)
• Collation:
  • Vol. I: cxvii, 335 pp
  • Vol. II: 264, [48] pp
  • Vol. III: 427 pp
  • Vol. IV: 438 pp
  • Vol. V: 322, vi, [54] pp
• Illustrations: 5 frontispieces, 9 additional full-page engravings, numerous engraved vignettes
• Contents Include:
  • Extensive preface and translator’s dedication
  • Full English translation of Orlando Furioso in verse
  • Index and critical annotations

Condition:

Good. Full leather bindings show moderate wear at hinges and corners, with mild rubbing consistent with age. Raised bands remain firm, and gilt details legible. All volumes internally complete. Pages are notably clean and crisp, with no visible foxing. The text blocks are tight and secure throughout.

Why Collect This?

• Illustrated, five-volume set of an important Renaissance epic

Item Number: #29594