Author Description

First published in 1997. Considered one of the first prose works in Italian and a precursor of the Decameron, this is the first complete translation of the Novellino into English, based on the 1525 editio princeps. While manuscripts vary as to wording and the number of tales, the 1525 first edition follows seven of the eight known manuscripts closely. The text includes a transcription of the 1525 edition, taken from the copy in the Parma Biblioteca Palatina. This transcription has been altered as little as possible, diacriticals are added and capitalization is systematized, but no attempt has been made to modernize the language. Vocabulary notes are provided, as are ample notes to explain the historical and cultural significance of figures and events in the tales. There is one bibliography for the Novellino and another for the explanatory notes.