Author: [THOUSAND AND ONE DAYS - ITALIAN].
Title: Novelle persiane divise in mille ed una giornata, e in cinque libri distribuite. Tradotte in francese e dal francese nel volgare Italiano. Vol. primo [-quinto]. Venice [= Naples?], Giacomo Antonio Vinaccia, 1783. 5 volumes. 12mo. With vignettes built up from typographical ornaments on each title page and some ornamental headpieces. Contemporary grey paper wrappers with manuscript volume numbers on the spines. Stored in a brown decorated paper slipcase.
Description: 203; 202; 216; 216; 239, [1] ppVery rare, highly remarklable pirated edition in five volumes of the Heyaryek-Rouz or Thousand and One Days, so called to “give the work an air of originality” (Chauvin IV, 124). A Persian manuscript of this work was given to Francois Petit de la Croix in Isfahan in 1675, but enjoyed far fewer editions and translations than the Alf layla wa-layla. As Chauvin notes, it cannot be determined whether the Thousand and One Days or the Thousand and One Nights was composed first, nevertheless, to this day the Heyarek-Rouz is much less well-known to the Western world (IV, 123f.). Chauvin quotes one commentator who declares the Heyarek-Rouz “much more ingenious and more realistic, as it sometimes includes marvels, following the taste of the Oriental”.The place of printing given on the title page of the present edition is Venice, but the costs were borne by the well-known Neapolitan publisher Giacomo Antonio Vinaccia, and the books were also sold in Naples, in the Corridoio del Consiglio. It is known that Vinaccia drew on the great publishing pool of Venice for many of his publications, creating actual counterfeits, and it is thought that even Venetian publishers themselves relied on his presses to encourage the distribution of their works in the south as well, without having to pay duties or apply for printing licences (cf. A. Scannapieco). In 1784, the following year, an identical edition appeared, giving Naples as the place of printing.The wrappers are worn, mainly around the spines, the edges of the leaves are somewhat frayed. Otherwise in good condition.l OPAC SBN ITICCUNAPE028513 (4 copies, incl. 3 incomplete); WorldCat 955557595 (1 copy, also in OPAC SBN); cf. A. Scannapieco, “Un editore goldoniano nella Napoli del secondo Settecento”, in Problemi di critica goldoniana IV [1997], pp. 7-152; This edition not in Chauvin.

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