Hypnerotomachia Poliphili

The Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (The strife of love in a dream) is generally considered to be the finest illustrated book of the Renaissance. Its splendid woodcuts can stand on their own, the printing (by Aldus Manutius) is remarkably handsome, and the text—a unique compound of Italian and Latin—remains open to fascinating interpretations, both worldly and esoteric. The author is thought to be Francesco Colonna, a Dominican monk whose name appears in an acrostic formed by the initial letters of each section. The Hypnerotomachia achieved fame as the quintessential illustrated book, having perhaps the longest continuous history of bibliophilic reverence of any printed work. This Octavo Edition features detailed images of the entire book, an essay on its architecture, and complete bibliographical details. Commentary by Nicolas Barker.