Aldo Bernardo and his collaborators extend the translation project begun with the Familiares to the letter collection of Petrarch's old age, the Seniles. In these 128 letters, most of which appear for the first time here in English translation, we find Petrarch's mature judgment on the central issues of early Italian humanism. With Boccaccio, to whom he addresses more letters than anyone else, Petrarch shares his ideas about the literary culture of the age. Two entire books on the structure and role of the Church are addressed to Pope Urban V and his secretary, Francesco Bruni, and another large block of letters on statecraft and political virtue are addressed to such powerful rulers as Pandolfo Malatesta, Francesco da Carrara, and Emperor] Charles IV. More personal themes emerge as well, including Petrarch's thoughts on the passage of time, the meaning of death, and the loss of friends; on faith, providence, and life after death; and on eating, drinking, and fashions in clothing. Petrarch's Latin translation of the patient Griselda story from Boccaccio's "Decameron" is also found here, and the collection closes with the famous Letter to Posterity, Petrarch's final literary self-portrait." - Neo-Latin News THIS COMPLETE TRANSLATION has long been out of print and is reproduced here in its entirety in two volumes. Vol. 1, Books I-IX, 368 pp. Introduction, notes, bibliography.

THIS TRANSLATION makes available for the first time to English-speaking readers Petrarch's earliest and perhaps most important collection of prose letters. They were written for the most part between 1325 and 1366, and were organized into the present collection of twenty-four books between 1345 and 1366. THE COLLECTION represents a portrait of the artist as a young man seen through the eyes of the mature artist. Whether in the writing of poetry, or being crowned poet laureate, or in confessing his faults, describing the dissolution of the kingdom of Naples, summoning up the grandeur of ancient Rome, or in writing to pope or emperor, Petrarch was always the consummate artist, deeply concerned with creating a desired effect by means of a dignified gracefulness, and always conscious that his private life and thoughts could be the object of high art and public interest. AS EARLY AS 1436 Leonardo Bruni wrote in his Life of Petrarch: "Petrarch was the first man to have had a sufficiently fine mind to recognize the gracefulness of the lost ancient style and to bring it back to life." It was indeed the very style or manner in which Petrarch consciously sought to create the impression of continuity with the past that was responsible for the enormous impact he made on subsequent generations. THIS COMPLETE TRANSLATION by Aldo S. Bernardo has long been out of print and is reproduced here in its entirety in three volumes. Vol. 1, Books I-VIII. 472 pp. Introduction, notes, bibliography.

THIS TRANSLATION makes available for the first time to English-speaking readers Petrarch's earliest and perhaps most important collection of prose letters. They were written for the most part between 1325 and 1366, and were organized into the present collection of twenty-four books between 1345 and 1366. THE COLLECTION represents a portrait of the artist as a young man seen through the eyes of the mature artist. Whether in the writing of poetry, or being crowned poet laureate, or in confessing his faults, describing the dissolution of the kingdom of Naples, summoning up the grandeur of ancient Rome, or in writing to pope or emperor, Petrarch was always the consummate artist, deeply concerned with creating a desired effect by means of a dignified gracefulness, and always conscious that his private life and thoughts could be the object of high art and public interest. AS EARLY AS 1436 Leonardo Bruni wrote in his Life of Petrarch: "Petrarch was the first man to have had a sufficiently fine mind to recognize the gracefulness of the lost ancient style and to bring it back to life." It was indeed the very style or manner in which Petrarch consciously sought to create the impression of continuity with the past that was responsible for the enormous impact he made on subsequent generations. THIS COMPLETE TRANSLATION by Aldo S. Bernardo has long been out of print and is reproduced here in its entirety in three volumes. Vol. 3, Books XVII-XXIV. Introduction, notes, bibliography.

THIS TRANSLATION makes available for the first time to English-speaking readers Petrarch's earliest and perhaps most important collection of prose letters. They were written for the most part between 1325 and 1366, and were organized into the present collection of twenty-four books between 1345 and 1366. THE COLLECTION represents a portrait of the artist as a young man seen through the eyes of the mature artist. Whether in the writing of poetry, or being crowned poet laureate, or in confessing his faults, describing the dissolution of the kingdom of Naples, summoning up the grandeur of ancient Rome, or in writing to pope or emperor, Petrarch was always the consummate artist, deeply concerned with creating a desired effect by means of a dignified gracefulness, and always conscious that his private life and thoughts could be the object of high art and public interest. AS EARLY AS 1436 Leonardo Bruni wrote in his Life of Petrarch: "Petrarch was the first man to have had a sufficiently fine mind to recognize the gracefulness of the lost ancient style and to bring it back to life." It was indeed the very style or manner in which Petrarch consciously sought to create the impression of continuity with the past that was responsible for the enormous impact he made on subsequent generations. THIS COMPLETE TRANSLATION by Aldo S. Bernardo has long been out of print and is reproduced here in its entirety in three volumes. Vol. 2, Books IX-XVI. Introduction, notes, bibliography.

Aldo Bernardo and his collaborators extend the translation project begun with the Familiares to the letter collection of Petrarch's old age, the Seniles. In these 128 letters, most of which appear for the first time here in English translation, we find Petrarch's mature judgment on the central issues of early Italian humanism. With Boccaccio, to whom he addresses more letters than anyone else, Petrarch shares his ideas about the literary culture of the age. Two entire books on the structure and role of the Church are addressed to Pope Urban V and his secretary, Francesco Bruni, and another large block of letters on statecraft and political virtue are addressed to such powerful rulers as Pandolfo Malatesta, Francesco da Carrara, and Emperor] Charles IV. More personal themes emerge as well, including Petrarch's thoughts on the passage of time, the meaning of death, and the loss of friends; on faith, providence, and life after death; and on eating, drinking, and fashions in clothing. Petrarch's Latin translation of the patient Griselda story from Boccaccio's "Decameron" is also found here, and the collection closes with the famous Letter to Posterity, Petrarch's final literary self-portrait." - Neo-Latin News THIS COMPLETE TRANSLATION has long been out of print and is reproduced here in its entirety in two volumes. Vol. 2, Books X-XVIII, 368 pp. Introduction, notes, bibliography.