1890 Rare Book - Jerusalem Delivered by Torquato Tasso, Illustrated

Author: Torquato Tasso. Translated by J. H. Wiffen.
Title: Jerusalem Delivered.
Publisher: New York, Hurst & Co., 122 Nassau Street, [no date, circa 1890s].
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5" x 5".
Pages: 493 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good, richly decorated publisher’s gilt-stamped blue cloth binding, with elaborate floral and geometric ornamentation to the upper board and spine (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. All page edges gilt.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown, the front endpaper inner hinge shows visible wear but remains tight and secure, as shown, ownership inscription to the front endpaper dated January 12, 1896, along with an old library label to the pastedown - as shown). Tissue guard present before the frontispiece portrait of Tasso.
Illustrations: Illustrated with six full-page engravings throughout the text, including a fine engraved portrait frontispiece of Tasso. Decorative typographic borders and initial ornaments enhance the presentation. Complete.

The book: A beautiful decorative Victorian edition of Jerusalem Delivered, Torquato Tasso’s epic Renaissance poem recounting the First Crusade through a blend of history, chivalric romance, and spiritual allegory. Translated into English Spenserian verse by J. H. Wiffen, this edition reflects the 19th-century revival of medieval and romantic literature, pairing Tasso’s lyrical narrative with rich visual embellishment. A charming and visually striking example of late-Victorian gift-book design.

The author: Torquato Tasso (1544–1595) was one of the major literary figures of the Italian Renaissance. His masterpiece, La Gerusalemme Liberata, intertwines heroism, love, faith, and myth in a poetic re-imagining of the Crusades. Revered across Europe, Tasso profoundly influenced Romantic-era writers, composers, and artists, from Goethe to Byron.

The translator: John Henry Wiffen (1792–1836) was an English poet, translator, and early Romantic figure best known for his translations of Tasso and Garcilaso de la Vega. His Spenserian-verse rendering of Jerusalem Delivered was widely admired in the 19th century for preserving the lyrical cadence and chivalric tone of the original Italian.