Hypnerotomachia Poliphili Limited Edition Set

5b Translated by Paul Summers Young. Facsimile of original 1499 text in Latin AND English translation in two volumes. Limited print run 37/40.

Notes

Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, published in 1499 and attributed to Francesco Colonna, is a richly illustrated Renaissance text blending romance, mythology, architecture, and dream imagery. Written in an elaborate, hybridized Italian with heavy Latin and Greek influences, it follows the dream journey of Poliphilo as he searches for his beloved, Polia, through fantastical landscapes and symbolic monuments. The book is celebrated for its innovative typography and intricate woodcut illustrations, making it a landmark in early printing. Though its narrative is often obscure and deeply allegorical, it’s considered a masterpiece of humanist literature and a key text in understanding Renaissance art, philosophy, and aesthetics

New English translation along with a high-quality facsimile of the 1499 first edition as a  bundle.

Description

strictly limited half-morocco edition, hand-bound by master craftsman Roger Green. The spines and corners are bound in the finest goatskin, with hand-tooled labels; the boards are covered in hand-marbled paper, specially created for this project—each copy unique in pattern and tone.

Only 45 hand-numbered copies have been made, each housed in a custom slipcase.

The set includes:

• A new poetic and faithful English translation by Paul Summers Young, offering an accessible yet sensitive rendering of the original’s complex voice.

• A high-quality facsimile of the original 1499 edition—one of the typographic crown jewels of the Incunabula period.