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.The Doré Illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy

by: Gustave Doré

1976-07
This proves to be an inexpensive and worthy accompaniment to Dante's Divine Comedy. Now I say accompaniment but Dore's engravings are wonderful to study on their own, now I don't think they show the amount of inventiveness that William Blake does but if you're looking for finely executed artwork that tells expressively and artfully Dante's masterpiece, then this I definitely recommend. Dore's work is dark and brooding, epic and vivid in its intensity. This edition taking account of its price is worth buying; there's a brief but informative introduction by the publisher concerning Dore's practice and a bit of background, a list of all the plates contained follows, all 135. Each plate is presented clearly, the paper quality reflects the price ... Read More:
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Used Price: £8.16

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.Dante's "Divine Comedy": Hell, Purgatory, Paradise

by: Dante Alighieri

September 15, 2006
I got this book because i was going through my 'interest in the after life' thing. I think of myself as a pretty down to earth person, not particularly well read but i can get my teeth into something im interested in.

I have to say while i agree with the other reviewers and that to say Dante was talented would be an understatement, This book was a little over my head. There is a small section at the beginning of each part in the book describing what followed in Layman's terms, by far the most useful thing to me and im glad they included it. I found myself scan reading the main text and concentrating on the pictures.

I can honestly say i enjoyed the book though, which to me, is the most important thing.
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Used Price: £12.25

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.Paradise Lost: Complete & Unabridged

by: John Milton

June 23, 2005
I had to read Paradise Lost for my University degree and I began reading a Penguin copy. I was bored stiff; although the text itself was as wonderful as one would expect of the epic to rule all epics, the font was small and it made difficult reading for my rather short-sighted eyes.

So I asked for the illustrated edition for Christmas, and this version is what I got and I am eternally grateful to my parent's for purchasing it for me, it's a thing of beauty.

The merits of Paradise Lost itself are well known - it's magnificently written, powerful and breathtaking throughout - so I will not repeat what has been said many times before and instead I will focus on the particulars of this particular edition.

The text itself is printed clearly ... Read More:
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Used Price: £10.00

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.Dore's Illustrations for "Paradise Lost" (Dover Pictorial Archive)

by: Gustave Dore

1994-02
I really do rate these editions by Dover, as a student they are very reasonably priced, and appear to be lovingly produced, with the books on Dore I get the sense that they are as much about the illustrator as the writer, both of who are exceptional creators. These engravings on Milton's `Paradise Lost' are beautiful in their intensity and epic scale, the detailed masses of winged angels and isolated forest glades are wonderfully atmospheric. Dore's work really comes alive when he finds a writer that he connects to, these he produced quickly and reverently (the same can be said for his illustrations of `The Divine Comedy') in a way that shows how much interest he found in the material, this just heightens my enjoyment because it definitely comes across in the soaring designs ... Read More:
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Used Price: £6.05

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.Don Quixote (Collector's Library Editions)

by: Miguel de Cervantes

September 01, 2006
(As a brief note, the following does include an extremely small quote from the story - as in a single paragraph. This is merely a warning for those who like to learn the ENTIRE story from the book - as I'd hate to be the one to ruin any part of it for you!)
This book is wonderfully presented, with great pictures throughout which capture the style and essence of the story well (of course, taking into account that it is a translation). It is unfortunate then, to find several mistakes. I have reached chapter 25, so far ignoring 'minor' errors such as missing letters; but in this chapter, and this is one point which threw me (so much so that I resorted to looking up the story on the internet), is the opening paragraph: "Don Quixote took leave of the goatherd and, remounting ... Read More:
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Used Price: £21.14

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.Dante's Divine Comedy: Hell, Purgatory, Paradise

by: Alighieri Dante

October 30, 2006
(As a brief note, the following does include an extremely small quote from the story - as in a single paragraph. This is merely a warning for those who like to learn the ENTIRE story from the book - as I'd hate to be the one to ruin any part of it for you!)
This book is wonderfully presented, with great pictures throughout which capture the style and essence of the story well (of course, taking into account that it is a translation). It is unfortunate then, to find several mistakes. I have reached chapter 25, so far ignoring 'minor' errors such as missing letters; but in this chapter, and this is one point which threw me (so much so that I resorted to looking up the story on the internet), is the opening paragraph: "Don Quixote took leave of the goatherd and, remounting ... Read More:
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Used Price: £23.45

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.The Raven (Dover books on fine art)

by: Edgar Allan Poe, Gustave Doré

August 26, 1996
Not only is this book about intense emotions, but it takes you on a trip through madness. All the pieces are so well interwoven that you come out of it trembling with the central character.
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Used Price: £1.35

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.The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

by: Samuel Taylor Coleridge

March 07, 2008
Not only is this book about intense emotions, but it takes you on a trip through madness. All the pieces are so well interwoven that you come out of it trembling with the central character.
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Used Price: £9.94

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.Dore's Illustrations for "Idylls of the King" (Dover Pictorial Archive)

by: Gustave Dore

1995-10
Not only is this book about intense emotions, but it takes you on a trip through madness. All the pieces are so well interwoven that you come out of it trembling with the central character.
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Used Price: £9.33

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.Fairy Tales

by: Charles Perrault, Gustave Dore

February 01, 2000
This is a splendid edition of Perraults Fairy Tales. However, I would suggest that it's an edition more suitable for adults interested in illustration than one for children. Dore's engavings are brilliant but horrifying. Like the picture of the ogre about to murder the children in "Tom Thumb". And those for "Little Red Riding Hood" with a very scary wolf sharing a bed with LRRH. However, those for The Sleeping Beauty are absolutely enchanting. This is a book for anyone with even the remotest interest in fairy tales, or the art of illustration.
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Used Price: £1.14