Describing Dante's descent into Hell midway through his life with Virgil as a guide, this work depicts a cruel underworld in which desperate figures are condemned to eternal damnation for committing one or more of seven deadly sins. Led by leering demons, the poet must ultimately journey with Virgil to the deepest level of all.

Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate. But his delicate mission is overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths. He collects evidence, deciphers secret symbols and digs into the eerie labyrinth of the abbey where extraordinary things are happening under the cover of night.

Described variously as the greatest poem of the European Middle Ages and, because of the author's evangelical purpose, the 'fifth Gospel', the Divine Comedy is central to the culture of the west. The poem is a spiritual autobiography in the form of a journey - the poet travels from the dark circles of the Inferno, up the mountain of Purgatory, where Virgil, his guide leaves him to encounter ...

Leads you through many different books including a detective adventure, a romance, a satire, an erotic story, a diary, and a quest.

This novel by the author of The Name of the Rose follows that book's format of a complex intellectual thriller. The plot ranges back and forth through the centuries, full of arcane knowledge, secret societies, love, death, passion and perversion.

Recasts the storytelling heritage of the ancient and medieval worlds into perennial forms that inspired writers including Chaucer and Shakespeare. This book hovers between the fading glories of an aristocratic past - the Crusades, the Angevins, the courts of France, the legendary East - and the squalor of contemporary life.

For this treatise on statecraft the author drew upon his own experience of office under the turbulent Florentine republic, rejecting traditional values of political theory and recognizing the complicated, transient nature of political life.

Depicting a realm of intense sensation and physical experience, this poem transforms the traditional Christian idea of Purgatory by showing how the free will of the aspiring soul could change wordly perversions into perfection.

Marco Polo conjures up cities of magical times for his host, the Chinese ruler Kublai Khan, but gradually it becomes clear that he is actually describing one city: Venice.

Originally released on 3 CDs in abridged form. Now available on 4 CDs unabridged. I have been in the Heaven that takes up most of his light, and saw things there that those who descend from that height cannot speak of or forget... Led by his guide Beatrice, Dante leaves the Earth behind and soars through the heavenly spheres of Paradise. In this third and final part of The Divine Comedy, he ...

It is April 1204, and Constantinople, the splendid capital of the Byzantine Empire, is being sacked and burned by the knights of the Fourth Crusade. Amid the carnage and confusion, one Baudolino saves a Byzantine historian and high court official from certain death at the hands of the crusading warriors, and proceeds to tell his own story.

As the head of the aristocratic family, Don Fabrizio is accustomed to knowing his own place in the world and expects his household to run accordingly. He is aware of the changes which are rapidly making men obsolete but he remains attached to the old ways. But Don Fabrizio will make few accommodations for the modern world.

Set in the 17th century, in Italy, France and on the high seas, this is a tale of medieval legends and dastardly deeds, mixed with portions of exploration literature. Roberto, a young nobleman, waits alone on a Pacific island, separated from the island beyond: the island of the day before.

Yambo struggles through the frames to find at last the face of the girl he loves.

The new edition of 'Collins Italian Dictionary' has been completely revised and updated with thousands of new references to cover all the latest vocabulary, culture notes to broaden users' knowledge of Italian culture, and web addresses to enable further research. This is the ideal dictionary for learners of Italian.

This book includes recipes from the author's two previous books on Italian cooking, as well as more than 50 new ones, and incorporates advice on the use of kitchen equipment and ingredients.

A saga of a family and an account of addiction and failure as its helpless hero, notionally undergoing psychiatric help, manages spectacularly to fail to give up smoking, run his business or make sense of his private life.

Considered by many to be the masterpiece of Dante's youth, New Life is one of the finest poetical works, and the first example of the modern novel in Italian.

'The Silver Spoon' has over 2000 traditional and modern recipes. Its simple style and traditional authenticity should appeal to both the gourmet and the occasional cook. It has a new layout and specially commissioned artwork and photography.

In this new translation by Geoffrey Brock, the prize-winning translator of 'Cesare Pavese' and 'Umberto Eco', 'Pinocchio' finally has an English rendering worthy of the inspired original.