About
$137,073
535
For the first time in hundreds of years,
artist George Cochrane brings us a manuscript edition of Dante's masterpiece. We are excited to bring together this iconic text and the craftsmanship of the Medieval scribe and bookmaker. Allow us to introduce INFERNO.
Learn more about Dante's Inferno in this interview . . .
This edition is unlike any you've ever seen. Not only is it printed letterpress and hand-bound, but each letter of each line has been written by hand, and each margin is lush with illustration.
In bringing together Dante and George Cochrane, each masters of their own craft, we hope to bring forward an edition of INFERNO unlike any which has ever existed. It is a manuscript edition (hand-lettered, hand-illustrated) which Dante would have found familiar, brought to life by the finest letterpress printing and hand binding.
Allow us to introduce you to INFERNO, a letterpress printed and hand-bound book . . .
A handmade book, through and through.
George has spent years hand-lettering this edition. The text is presented in both Italian and in English, and each margin illustrates the scene on the page. As he says, the lush illustrations give the reader a "visual gloss" as they follow Dante down into the depths.
What is a 'fine press' book?
While most books are commercially mass-produced by machine, these are not. They are made by hand. When you add a Thornwillow fine press book to your collection, you can expect:
- Each page to be printed letterpress. You can feel the impression of the type as you run your finger across the page.
- Each book to be expertly hand-bound, using only the finest materials.
- Each book to be individually hand numbered.
- And finally, when you pledge, your name is included on a subscribers list accompanying every book, and archived in the world's greatest collections.
Please enjoy this short film by our friends at Surrender Pictures about the Thornwillow philosophy . . .
What's different about this edition?
Friends of Thornwillow—those who have been collecting for years or who have just started—should know a few, exciting things which differentiate this edition from our past ones.
- It is printed in two colors, in both red and black.
- It is larger. While The Shakespeare Sonnets, Sherlock Holmes Hexalogy, Three War Stories, and Frankenstein were all roughly quarto size, this is printed in a folio format. (See the photos below for a comparison.)
- The book has no typesetting—everything from the magnificent illustrations to the copyright page is in George's own hand.
PAPER-WRAPPER | $85. Edition size limited to one hundred more than backed.
CLOTH | $185. Edition size limited to one hundred more than backed.
HALF-LEATHER | Starting at $585. Only 66 copies available.
FULL-LEATHER | Starting at $1,500. Six versions available.
The Inferno centers on Dante, Virgil, and Beatrice. We are offering six copies of each in Full-Leather with their motifs gold tooled into the cover. Dante is bound in scarlet Morocco. Virgil is bound in Edwardian brown Morocco. Beatrice is bound in terracotta Morocco.
Most spectacularly of all, we are offering three unique copies. When Dante reaches the bottom of Inferno, he finds the Devil three headed. The left head is black, the middle head is crimson, and the right head is yellow. Together, they are devouring Brutus, Cassius, and Judas Iscariot. We have crafted three monumental copies, representing the three heads, each set with gems in their eyes.
Moreover, each of these one-of-a-kind copies is printed on its own special paper stock and comes with an actual manuscript leaf by George Cochrane.
Most magnificently of all, the Middle Devil copy is also copiously hand-colored and extra illustrated by the artist.
Each individual book is hand-bound at the press. Our master binders use the highest quality archival paper stock, book cloth and vegetable tanned Moroccan goatskin.
Risks and challenges
Having conducted twenty projects in the past, each of which has been delivered on time, we are confident in our ability to successfully manage any unexpected challenges. That said, we will always communicate them to our backers if they do arise.
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Funding period
- (30 days)