Decameron - Vol I (1471)

Boccaccio's masterpiece is here issued unabridged. It is a complete world in itself, one in which we can walk about even as the characters themselves. It is not, in fact, necessary to read very much of this exquisite prose before we become as much part of the amorous and lyrical fourteenth century as the ladies and gentlemen themselves, who wile away their time with stories on the slope at Fiesole. Boccaccio's extensive knowledge of human nature enabled him to seal with his characters not too seriously, but with that ironic detachment and air of humorous omniscience that is the privilege of the greatest writers and the delight of their readers.