DANTE ALIGHIERI (c. 1265-1321). La Comedia.

DANTE ALIGHIERI (c. 1265-1321). La Comedia, with the commentary of Christophoro Landino. Venice: Octavianus Scotus, 23 March 1484. Folio mostly in 8s (331 x 230mm). 270 leaves, Roman type, 64-lines of commentary enclosing the text of the poem, woodcut initials, the "Registro" leaf [K6, often lacking or supplied in facsimile, but here present] with large printer's device printed in red, white and black and with initals "OSM" (scattered worming from the beginning to bv, lightly browned throughout, some mainly marginal staining, occasionally more pronounced and affecting text, oiiii torn and repaired without loss, possibly a paper flaw, marginal repair to d8, lower fore-corner of "Registro" leaf repaired without loss of letters). Modern old-style calf ruled and decorated in blind, spine with 5 raised bands. Provenance: "Del heredi di Carlo Andrea [?]Strozzi" (old inscription on blank recto of [a1]); "D. M. Esmeraldo Strozzi" (later signature beneath); old and lengthy inscription in Italian relating to the book's ownership (beneath second signature); Athenaeum Library (blindstamp to front free endpaper and to a few leaves); some passages underlined or highlighted in pencil; some sparse old marginal pen annotation; faint old pencil drawing of a man's head in profile to margins of 3 leaves. BMC V, 279; Goff D-30; GW 7967; Hain 5947; IGI 361; Mambelli 11; Oates 1825; Proctor 4581; cf. PMM 8: "Dante's theme, the greatest yet attempted in poetry, was to explain and justify the Christian cosmos through the allegory of a pilgrimage ... The Commedia was printed and reprinted from 1472 onwards when Johann Neumeister printed the first edition at Foligno ... The epithet 'Divina' was not added till 1555, when it appears on the title-page of Lodovico Dolce's edition."