THE DEAD BRIDAL: A VENETIAN TALE OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY. London: Ward and Lock, 158, Fleet Street, 1856. Small octavo, pp. [i-iii] iv-vii [viii-ix] x-xi [xii] [1] 2-212, original pictorial boards, decorated endpapers. First edition. HE DEAD BRIDAL: A VENETIAN TALE OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY was serialized in 14 parts from December 1852 to January 1854 in THE ILLUSTRATED MAGAZINE OF ART. (Whether or on the serial has been expanded for the novel is not clear.) The novel is not supernatural. It is historical fiction about the War of Chioggia that occurred between Venice and Genoa from 1378 to 1381. Most of the principal characters are actual historical figures, as Slingsby notes in his preface, and he admits that he has accelerated the time table for the Black Plague in Venice by a year. The phrase, 'The Dead Bridal,' refers to Bianca Morosini, who contracts the Plague when she is supposed to marry Giulio Polani, her lover. Bianca, however, does not die. While the novel contains references to astrology and a sacred amulet that is supposed to protect one against the Plague, the narrator discusses how the advent of the Plague brings out all kinds of superstitious behavior in Venice during the period. Topp, Victorian Yellowbacks & Paperbacks, 1849-1905 II, p. 16. Not in Sadleir or Wolff. Professionally rebacked with red cloth, a very good copy. (#170423).
Price: $250.00
No statement of printing.