Published by The Folio Society, London, 1954 / 1955.
 
The books are in excellent condition, with decorated boards. The pages are bright and clean. Missing its slipcase, but has not impacted on book condition. Translated by Richard Aldington and the aquatint illustrations by Buckland Wright. 
 
The book is structured as a frame story containing 100 tales told by a group of seven young women and three young men sheltering in a secluded villa just outside Florence to escape the Black Death, which was afflicting the city. Boccaccio probably conceived of The Decameron after the epidemic of 1348, and completed it by 1353. The various tales of love in The Decameron range from the erotic to the tragic; tales of wit, practical jokes, and life lessons contribute to the mosaic.
 
In addition to its literary value and widespread influence, for example on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, it provides a document of life at the time. Written in the vernacular of the Florentine language, it is considered a masterpiece of classical early Italian prose.