The Orlando furioso Paperback – August 15, 2015

(Re: "Orlando Furioso: A Selection from the Translation of Sir John Harington," with an Introduction by Rudolph Gottfried)Ariosto's romantic epic "Orlando Furioso" is right up there with the most entertaining works of literature ever written, or even the most entertaining works of pop culture ever created. The translation by Sir John Harington, a contemporary of Shakespeare, is one of the best English versions around. But it is vast; so if you've been looking for a sampler plate before committing to partake of the sumptuous feast, a used copy of this out-of-print selection makes for a very inexpensive and inviting tray of appetizers. The introduction and notes by Rudolph Gottfried are brief but excellent; the selections amount to something less than a third of the whole. Then, if the selections do whet your appetite for Ariosto's and Harington's entire banquet, you have several alternatives:No fewer than three complete editions of Harington's translation were published in the 1960s and '70s. The Centaur Press edition included only the translation itself, though with a terse synopsis, a character list, and an introduction by Graham Hough added; it is long out of print, but used copies are not that hard to find. The Da Capo Press edition was a facsimile; it included the original illustrations and Harington's extensive editorial apparatus, both of great interest in themselves, but was not particularly legible and is now very hard to come by. Finally, Oxford University Press issued a deluxe scholarly edition edited by Robert McNulty; it, too, includes all the illustrations (clearly reproduced), with the text and apparatus legibly reset in modern type--and, amazingly enough, it is still in print. It's not cheap, but it's well worth the money if you can afford it.In the digital age, we are lucky to have three additional, cost-free options. From Google Books (but most conveniently accessed via the Google Play Books app), there is a complete facsimile including the illustrations and apparatus: "Orlando Furioso: In English Heroical Verse, by Sr. Iohn Harington of Bathe Knight Richard Field, 1607." It's a wonderful resource for consultation, but not easy on the eyes over the long haul; you'll also find the 1591 and 1634 editions on the Internet Archive. From LibriVox there is a complete free audiobook of the translation (without the apparatus) read by Thomas A. Copeland; the performance is quite good for a non-professional offering, but it's often clear that the recording conditions left something to be desired. Finally, at lulu.com, a very legible reading text of the translation without illustrations or apparatus is available as a free download.But Harington's translation, much as I recommend it, is not your very best option. That would be the two-volume Penguin version by Barbara Reynolds; be sure to have a look at it, too.  Sir John Harington's translation of Orlando Furioso (Centaur classics) Orlando Furioso: Translated into English Heroical Verse by Sir John Harington Orlando Furioso: A Romantic Epic: Part 1 (Penguin Classics) (Pt. 1) Orlando Furioso, Part Two (Penguin Classics)

One of the most beautiful fiction books I ever read (although with some suffering, since my Italian is not as good as needed to read this), much better than the Spanish version of Cervantes' Don Quixote