La commedia - Dante Alighieri

Italian edition. 

This is one of 700 numbered copies letterpress-printed on Ventura paper, made expressly for this edition, featuring a watermark with reads “Dante” 

Moreover, the following special copies were printed:

.45 on handmade Japanese Hosho paper;

.10 on handmade Japanese Kozu Elfenbein  paper;

.6 on handmade Japanese Kaji Nacré paper;

.3 on handmade Japanese Hodomura paper.

A detail of the type used for the hand typesetting of this edition:

Three volumes in the 4mo format (33x21cm) which add up to 680 pages, entirely typeset by hand in 14-point Roman Tallone type. This typeface was designed by Alberto Tallone.

The hand-typesetting of this edition was carried out in three stages, since the number of available original foundry types was insufficient for the whole work.

After printing, the movable types were distributed back into the type cases. The total number of types handled for both the hand-typesetting and the distribution into the cases amounts to about one million and two hundred thousands types. 

Add a personalized message for the receiver of your gift. We will print it beautifully, for free, and ship the gift and the message directly to the receiver’s address.

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Text edited by Giorgio Petrocchi.

The volumes are housed in hand-made slipcases and boxes.The book title is letterpress-printed on the slipcase’s spines.

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The number of movable types used for the hand-typesetting of this book makes it an exceptional endeavor.

Printed on very fine paper and sewn by hand, this collector’s edition is a sophisticated gift meant to last over time and designed to give the best reading experience possible.

Tallone’s typographic studio has been continuously in operation since the 18th  century, and its vast endowment of original foundry types and presses is still in use. Neither monotype nor linotype are used. These typesetting systems from a keyboard are often passed off as manual typography. The Tallone Press also does not print from plastic plates derived from digital compositions.

At Tallone Press, handmade bookmaking and aesthetic research combine to give each book a unique design, which is never repeated.