The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole - Limited Edition

The Castle of Otranto is a novel by Horace Walpole. Published in 1764, it is widely considered the first 'Gothic' novel. In the second edition, Walpole used the term 'Gothic,' adding the subtitle A Gothic Story. The writer was fascinated by medieval history and in 1749 built the neo-Gothic palace Strawberry Hill. The novel's plot, set in a haunted castle, combines medieval realities with a dark story in a style that has survived to this day. The book's aesthetic shaped contemporary 'Gothic' books, films, art, and music. The novel also initiated a literary genre that became extremely popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, associated with authors such as Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, and Robert Louis Stevenson.

Originally, the book bore the title: The Castle of Otranto, A Story. Translated by William Marshal, Gent. From the Original Italian of Onuphrio Muralto, Canon of the Church of St. Nicholas at Otranto. This first edition was supposedly a translation based on a manuscript written in Naples in 1529 and found in the library of 'an ancient Catholic family from northern England.' The story described was said to derive from an even older account, possibly dating back to the time of the Crusades. This Italian manuscript, along with the alleged author 'Onuphrio Muralto,' was Walpole's invention, and 'William Marshal' was his pseudonym. In subsequent editions, Walpole admitted authorship, writing: 'The favorable way in which this little work has been received by the public calls upon the author to explain the reasons for which he composed it' as 'an attempt to blend two kinds of romance: the ancient and the modern.'

The first edition was well received by some reviewers who understood the novel as belonging to medieval fiction, 'between 1095, the era of the first crusade, and 1243, the date of the last,' and some called Walpole a 'brilliant translator.' However, after Walpole's admission of authorship, many critics no longer wanted to praise this work and rejected it as absurd, romantic fiction, sometimes even tasteless or immoral. In his 1924 edition of The Castle of Otranto, Montague Summers showed that the life story of Manfred of Sicily (ruler of this island state, living from 1232-1266) inspired some plot details. The real medieval castle of Otranto was indeed among Manfred's possessions.

DESCRIPTION

This exquisite limited edition of The Castle of Otranto is bound in handmade half-leather with an elegant slipcase and features colored edges on the text block. The book is beautifully set in Monotype Bell typeface and printed on premium ribbed cotton Century Laid paper with watermark. Limited to only 25 copies, each book is crafted with meticulous attention to detail. Order fulfillment takes 14 days from payment confirmation, and all books are shipped via reliable courier service for safe delivery.