Un Mazzetto Scelto di Fioretti Saint Francis of Assisi [Very Good] [Hardcover]

TITLE: Un Mazzetto Scelto di Certi Fioretti del Glorioso Poverello di Cristo San Francesco di Assisi Insieme col Cantico al Sole del Medesimo by Saint Francis of Assisi, Ashendene Press (1904). _____DESCRIPTION: One of 150 copies on paper (and 25 on vellum). Large quarto (4to.) 11 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches (29.5 x 21.5 cm), 40 pp. Printed in Subiaco type on Batchelor 'hammer and anvil' paper in double column in black with headings, initial capitals and shoulder notes in red. Illustrated with 10 woodcut illustrations drawn by Charles M. Gere and engraved by W. H. Hooper. Red initials printed from the wooden blocks by Grailly Hewitt. Finely bound in full brown morocco, front and rear covers elaborately stamped in gilt and black, five raised bands on spine with black morocco labels. Pastedowns and free endplates in marbled paper, top edge gilt, wide morocco and gilt dentelles with ruled gilt lines. Binding by Zaehnsdorf with their gilt stamp dated 1905. Text is Italian language. A sheet correlating the selected Ashendene chapters with their appearance in the full edition of The Little Flowers is laid in (see photo). Protected with a clear archival Grafix Dura Lar dust wrapper. _____CONDITION: VG. Armorial bookplate to front pastedown. Slight curvature (concave) to front board. Small area of rubbing to heel of spine. Superficial 3 cm. vertical crease at top of rear cover. Water staining with long drip marks to front pastedown and ffep. Small areas of water staining at top of a few pages at front and rear, including rear free endplate and final four pages of text. Remaining 36 pages in fine condition._____DISCUSSION: This is one of a handful of Ashendene Press books printed in the Italian language and one of the few with woodcut illustrations. In this edition, twenty chapters from The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi were chosen randomly including the conversion of the three thieves, the transformation of the wolf into a gentleman and the 'Canticle of the Sun'. This is a well-balanced edition with beautiful letterpress printing and attractive woodcut illustrations in a deluxe stamped Zaehnsdorf binding. NOTE: International shipping cost to the United Kingdom and Europe is $35 U.S. dollars.