Author: (Mussolini, Benito; Schmidt-Knatz, Friedrich, editor). della Lana, Jacopo; and Dante Alighieri.
Title: Dante Alighieri: La Commedia Col Commento Di Jacopo Della Lana Dal Codice Francofortese Arci-Beta. (Facsimile). [Mussolini's Copy of the Book, Presented to Him on a Special Leaf Signed by Friedrich Krebs, Oberburgermeister of Frankfurt, But Never Delivered to Him. ]
Description: Frankfurt am Main: Reichsdruckerei of Berlin, 1939. 1939. - Folio, 14 inches high by 9-1/2 inches wide. Hardcover, Bound in 3/4 white leather and cream marbled vellum paper titled in gilt with a fleur-de-lys device between gilt-ruled raised bands on the spine. The binding is enhanced with parchment endpapers & pastedowns. The book is housed in a custom made tan slipcase with cloth sides and titled on a spine label. The corners are lightly bumped & rubbed and the covers slightly warped. The slipcase is rubbed & soiled with fraying to the edges of the cloth and a small hole to the title label. The pagination consists of a presentation leaf on parchment paper, 16 pages and 218 [i. e. 222] leaves. (Leaves nos. 196-199 are repeated in the foliation.) The text is reproduced in facsimile in double columns on both sides of the leaves (rectos of 28 and 57 are blank). A collotype facsimile with elaborate pictorial initials and decorations in the margins. The volume is also illustrated with 4 color plates at the beginning of each of the four sections with historiated initials and scenes from the poem in the lower margins. There is a short tear to the lower margin of the presentation leaf repaired with archival document tape. Very good.

Copy No. 2 for Benito Mussolini, so stated on the presentation leaf.

From the library of Agostino Ferrante di Ruffano (1885-1974) the Consul General of his Majesty, the King of Italy, in Frankfurt am Main (1936-1939) and Dresden (1940-1943). He was imprisoned in 1943 by the German Reich authorities and later by the Italian authorities for refusing to recognize the Mussolini government. Ferrante di Ruffano is mentioned in the introduction to the book as being the president of the Frankfurt branch of the Dante Society and, as such, was largely responsible for the publication of this facsimile of the Frankfurt manuscript. On her final visit with her father in Santa Barbara in 1974, Ferrante di Ruffano presented this copy of the book to his daughter, Virginia ("Bimbetta") MacVeagh, the widow of Ambassador Lincoln MacVeagh. In a letter of provenance Mrs. MacVeagh details her father's account of the creation of this facsimile and the original intent of its creators to give this copy Number 2 to Mussolini. "When Papa (Marchese Agostino Ferrante di Ruffano) was Italian Consul General in Frankfurt am Main, Germany (1936-1939) he was President of the Dante Alighieri Society in Frankfurt. While there he was told by the German Society of Dante Alighieri of the existence of this manuscript, dating back to 1328 with a commentary by a Jacopo della Lana, a Bolognese and contemporary of Dante. It was written on parchment, but was in very bad condition. Jacopo della Lana, a Doctor of Theology at Bologna, is, as far as is known, the first person to write a commentary on the Divina Commedia. This is one of the oldest texts known of this work. This manuscript had been brought to the city of Frankfurt am Main by one of its citizens living in Milan, a banker called H. Mylius, and given by him to the Library in Frankfurt in 1834. Nothing is known as to how Herr Mylius got it. Papa, recognizing the extraordinary value of this manuscript, proposed raising the money to have it published, and was ably assisted by the Mayor of Frankfurt, Dr. Krebs and also a Herr H. Schroeder. When published, only 500 copies were made of which No 1 was given to Adolph Hitler, then No 2 was supposed to go to Mussolini, but he was assassinated before it was sent..He dictated this to me when I was visiting them in Santa Barbara in 1974 when he gave me my copy - written by Bimbetta / (Virginia F. MacVeagh)". It is interesting to note that Ferrante di Ruffano was released from prison in April of 1943, the same month in which Mussolini was assissinated.

Of a total edition of 500 copies, copies numbered 1-100 were for presentation by the Oberburgermeister. Numbers 101-300 were for the German Dante Society and numbers 301-500 for the Italian Dante Society. Herausgegeben von Friedrich Schmidt-Knatz, mit Unterstutzung des Oberburgermeisters der Stadt des deutschen Handwerks, Frankfurt am Main, der Deutschen Dante-Gesellschaft und der Societa Dante Alighieri in Frankfurt am Main.

The introduction is in German and Italian. Very good .

Keywords: ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT; FACSIMILE; LA COMMEDIA COL COMMENTO DI JACOPO DELLA LANA DAL CODICE FRANCOFORTESE ARCI-BETA; DANTE ALIGHIERI; DIVINE COMEDY; JACOPO DELLA LANA; AGOSTINO FERRANTE DI RUFFANO; ITALIAN LITERATURE; BENITO MUSSOLINI; LIMITED EDITION; FR

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