This RARE UNREAD vintage leather masterpiece of literature and bookmaking from The Oxford University Press is in RARE NEAR PERFECT condition. There are no markings inside or out, and there are no attached bookplates. The spine is strong and properly tight. The satin ribbon bookmark is stiff and unfrayed. The corners are sharp and straight. The golden embellishments are vivid and vibrant. The gold leaf protecting the text block is virtually flawless. Everything is bright and shiny... it even still retains that pleasant fresh new book smell. This particular book is an exemplary model of this brilliant vintage edition.

The Decameron is a collection of short stories by the 14th-century Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375). The book is structured as a frame story containing 100 tales told by a group of seven young women and three young men; they shelter in a secluded villa just outside Florence in order to escape the Black Death, which was afflicting the city. Boccaccio probably conceived of the Decameron after the epidemic of 1348 and completed it by 1353. The various tales of love in The Decameron range from the erotic to the tragic. Tales of wit, practical jokes, and life lessons contribute to the mosaic. In addition to its literary value and widespread influence, it provides a document of life at the time. Written in the vernacular of the Florentine language, it is considered a masterpiece of classical early Italian prose.