Giovanbattista Cinthio Giraldi; Girolamo Giovannini. HECATOMMITHI, OVERO CENTO NOVELLE DI M. GIOVANBATTISTA GIRALDI CINTHIO NOBILE FERRARESE... 2vols. (complete). Venice: Appresso Domenico Imberti, 1593. Later edition. Marbled calf, blind and gilt stamped spine. 4to; *8 2*4 A-2H8 2I3; A-2G8. ff. [12], 251; 233, [8]. Italic type with Roman; text in Italian. With life of the author, printer's device on title pages, woodcut initials, ornaments, and head-pieces, printed marginalia in vol. 2. USTC 833320; Edit16 21288.

From the Collection of Professor Roberto Severino, Washington, D.C.

Giovanbattista Cinthio Giraldi (Ferrara, 1504-1573), simply known as Cinthio, was a poet, playwright, and novelist. His Hecatommithi is a collection of one hundred tales that was first published in 1565. Significantly, Shakespeare looked to this work when writing Othello, and many Shakespeare scholars believe that he must have read Cinthio's work in the original Italian.

Boards with edgewear; interior with foxing, occasional offsetting, and light toning, occasional small tear, corner loss, damp staining, grime, marginalia/underlining, and wormholes; vol. 1 title page with minor ink marks and several small edge tears; vol. 2 title page with small loss; a very good set.