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La Divina Commedia - The New Manuscript

George Cochrane is finally back with a groundbreaking fine press edition of Dante's Divine Comedy.

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La Divina Commedia - The New Manuscript

La Divina Commedia - The New Manuscript

La Divina Commedia - The New Manuscript

La Divina Commedia - The New Manuscript

La Divina Commedia - The New Manuscript

George Cochrane is finally back with a groundbreaking fine press edition of Dante's Divine Comedy.

George Cochrane is finally back with a groundbreaking fine press edition of Dante's Divine Comedy.

George Cochrane is finally back with a groundbreaking fine press edition of Dante's Divine Comedy.

George Cochrane is finally back with a groundbreaking fine press edition of Dante's Divine Comedy.

Douglas George Cochrane
Douglas George Cochrane
Douglas George Cochrane
Douglas George Cochrane
1 Campaign |
Brooklyn, United States
$371,888 USD by 1,433 backers
$361,313 USD by 1,391 backers on Apr 22, 2021 with another platform

Ciao, I’m George Cochrane, and welcome to my Indiegogo

After the wildly successful Kickstarter campaign, I now present you the entire Divine Comedy in a fresh and captivating graphic-novel style!  

  • A Symbol of Italian Culture, History and Language 
  • An Heirloom to Share with Your Children, Grandchildren, and Loved Ones 
  • A Divine Comedy Like You've Never Seen Before, in a Fine Press Edition

 

 

2021 is a Special Year – the 700th Anniversary of Dante Alighieri’s Death

 

I bring you the first fully hand-written, hand-illustrated version of the Divine Comedy since the 15th century. Join me in celebrating the Year of Dante with my Indiegogo campaign to publish La Divina Commedia - The New Manuscript

Designed and Printed in Italy, my Fine Press, Limited Edition Divine Comedy will be Produced in Five Different Editions 

rare gift for collectors, scholars and enthusiasts, and an heirloom to pass on to future generations.

 

 

I first “met” Dante in Italy as a college student in the 90’s - and although I sensed the poem’s greatness, my first copy of the Divine Comedy seemed impossible to understand. I soon made it my life’s work to create a new Divine Comedy that a younger me would understand!

 

 

For decades, even before beginning work on my manuscript, I carefully studied and researched the Divine Comedy by: 

  •  Learning Italian in order to understand the original text
  •  Analyzing the past 700 years of art inspired by the Divine Comedy 
  •  Mastering my own original hand writing and graphic style

And then, like a medieval monk, I spent every day for the past seven years writing and illustrating the manuscript by hand.

 

 

Making The Divine Comedy More Accessible 

Dante's poetry is beautiful, but the truth is that the implications and the richness of his references are incredibly complex. The Divine Comedy is more widely known than read. I wanted to create a more engaging version for generations to come.

 

 

 

 

La Divina Commedia – The New Manuscript includes: 

 

  • 384 Fully Illustrated Pages – 12” x 10” (30 x 25 cm.) 
  • 7 Years of Work culminates in one of the most beautiful versions of the Divine Comedy ever created
  • Gorgeous Book Design Made and Printed in Italy, with Premium Materials

 

Choose your Edition: each is a unique gift for collectors, scholars and enthusiasts, and as an heirloom to pass on to future generations.

Each version comes in a decorated slipcase or deluxe protective case.

ANNIVERSARY EDITION | $ 179

 

  • 15 two-page spreads + Maps of the Afterlife: 33 Pages in Full Color 
  •  Red Hardcover Coffee Table Book with Custom Dante Overlay Design
  •  Soft Slipcase 
  •  3 Silk Book Markers – Black/Hell, Red/Purgatory, White/Heaven
  •  Your Name Printed on the Backers List

COLLECTOR EDITION | $ 289

Limited edition available in Italian or English. Gorgeous Bodoni binding on Italian paper, printed on unique next-gen press for deluxe finishing.

Individually signed by artist George Cochrane, book designer Giulia Fogliani, and publisher Giovanni Scorcioni.

 

 

  • 15 two-page spreads + Maps of the Afterlife: 33 Pages in Full Color 
  • Bodoni Binding with Elegant Black Edges 
  • Custom Dante Overlay Design w/ Golden Details (Front/Back/Spine) 
  • 3 Silk Book Markers: Black/Hell, Bronze/Purgatory, Gold/Heaven
  • Black & Gold Hard Slipcase
  •  Your Name Printed on the Backers List

 

HERITAGE EDITION | $ 489 (English version is Sold Out)

Only 30 copies available, ITALIAN Edition: Get it NOW or NEVER!

Limited edition bound in premium binding material: Fedrigoni ECF natural black paper, and Skivertex© by Italian maker Fontana Grafica in Milan.

Each copy can be personalized with a text chosen by the backer, printed in golden letters on the back cover of the book.

Individually signed by artist George Cochrane, book designer Giulia Fogliani, and publisher Giovanni Scorcioni.

 

 

  • 30 two-page spreads + Maps of the Afterlife: 63 Pages in Full Color 
  • Personalized with your Dedication Text on Back Cover in Gold Letters
  • Premium Material: Skivertex by Fontana Grafica (Spine/Slipcase)
  • Bodoni Binding with Elegant Black Edges 
  • 3 Silk Book Markers: Black/Hell, Bronze/Purgatory, Gold/Heaven
  • Black & Gold Hard Slipcase
  • Your Name Printed on the Backers List

GOLD EDITION | $ 2,600

Limited edition (15 copies in Italian; 15 copies in English)

Hand-bound in elegant Bodoni binding. Spine is in genuine black-tanned leather by Conceria 800 (Livorno, Italy). Boards in black-stained ash wood. Hand-made design with 24 Karat Gold Leaf. Elegant gilt edges, with hand-sewn double color headbands.

Presented in a deluxe rotating case, that is perfect to display your prized Divine Comedy at home.

Individually signed and dedicated by artist George Cochrane, book designer Giulia Fogliani, and publisher Giovanni Scorcioni.

 

 

  • 30 two-page spreads + Maps of the Afterlife: 63 Pages in Full Color 
  • Custom Dante Overlay Design in Genuine 24 Karat Gold Leaf (Front/Back)
  • Hand-Bound with Solid Wood Boards and Black-Tanned Leather
  • Bodoni Binding with Elegant Gilt Edges 
  • Deluxe Rotating Acrylic Display
  • Your Name Printed on the Backers List
  • Signed by artist George Cochrane
 
 

EMPYREAN EDITION | $ 18,000

Based on the Gold Edition, and Individually Hand-Colored by the Artist

 

The most lavish edition is strictly limited to 1 copy in Italian, and 1 copy in English.

To hand-color the pages George Cochrane will use his magnificent ancient pigments that include genuine 24 Karat goldlapis lazuli, and the renowned verdaccio. All pigments are from Zecchi Colori, historical art supplier in Florence.

 

Hand-colored by the artist:

  • 100 two-page spreads (200 pages
  • The final page of each of the three canticle (6 pages) 
  • YOU, the backer, will select three two-page spreads (6 pages)

The artist will hand-color the opening of each of the 100 cantos plus the end of each canticle (Hell, Purgatory and Heaven).

 

In addition to this, YOU, the backer, will pick THREE two-page spreads, and George Cochrane will hand color them in your copy. 

 

INFERNO PORTFOLIO | $ 129

Five Drawings from Hell

Preserved in an elegant cloth-covered portolio (14 x 20"; 36 x 51 cm.) this selection of devilish artworks by George Cochrane emerge from Dante's Hell. With a certificate of authentication signed by the artist.

This portfolio is a beautiful and valuable set, a perfect gift, or ideal to be framed for your home.

 

 

This portfolio of illustrations captures a variety of scenes from Dante's Inferno, and includes a portrait of Dante in Florence.

  • “I demoni del canto XXI”: Artist-made watercolor from pure, ancient pigments
  • “Il puzzo del canto XI”: Lead and tin point on artist-prepared paper with pure pigment (Blu di cobalto medio/Cobalt blue medium)
  • “Ritratto di Dante”: Silverpoint on artist-prepared paper with ancient pure pigment (Ocra calda d’Italia/Italian warm ochre)
  • “La selva selvaggia”: Noce di galla - artist-made/ground watercolor from pure sanguine pigment using an ancient recipe
  • “Porta dell'Inferno”: Artist-made/ground watercolor from pure sanguine pigment.

Shipping Cost

Shipping cost will be calculated after the campaign ends, so to charge you with the lowest available rate. The more copies we sell and ship, the better our shipping rate will be. 

We cap our shipping cost to $35 for the USA; $29 for European countries; $19 for Italy. We will quote other destinations individually.

Over time, as I studied the centuries of illuminated manuscripts of the Divine Comedy, I recognized the connection between them and comic art. Just like early editions of the poem, a comic tells an easy-to-read story using words and pictures in sequential order. 

 

Medieval Manuscripts as a Source of Inspirations 

The marriage of words and pictures to tell a story is powerful. I thought that if I used comic art techniques, I could create a more accessible and engaging version of the Divine Comedy that would change the way modern and future generations read the poem, and maybe, just maybe, the Divine Comedy would become more widely read than ever before.

 

 

On the Shoulders of Giants 

I tried to understand seven centuries of art inspired by Dante’s work. I had to became familiar with not only Michelangelo, Botticelli, Gustave Doré, Joseph Koch, William Blake, but also Manfredo Manfredini, Ebba Holm, and Antonio Zatta. Studying illustrations alone was not enough: I desperately needed to see the exquisite medieval manuscripts Dante was familiar with, and to observe the relationship between the images and the text.

 

In Search of The Perfect Text 

Once I saw the differences among Italian versions of Dante’s text, I began a research that took me back in time.

To underscore the philological uncertainty of the Commedia, I decided to transcribe three different sources:

  • Inferno — Giorgio Petrocchi (1967): the most widely disseminated and generally accepted version of Dante's text. 
  • Purgatorio — Codice Landiano (1336): one of the oldest datable manuscripts of the Divine Comedy that has never been transcribed before. 
  • Paradiso — Codice Trivulziano 1080 (1337): largely considered one of the most “accurate” and finest of the early manuscripts of the Commedia.

 

 

 

The Commedia and Comics

 

American comic book writers had a huge influence on my work. Wallace Wood’s 22 Panels That Always Work became something I looked to frequently; for instance, having just a sliver of the face visible (profil perdu) at the edge of the page brings the reader closer to the scene.

 

 

 

Beyond the Italian Reader 

George’s ambition is to spread his Divine Comedy all over the world using all the available translations. But his time on this planet is limited.

To reproduce Cochrane’s artwork in every language without losing the beauty of the handwritten text, we commissioned a typeface designer to create a digital font based on George’s lettering art.

We chose a contextual alternates font: each letter exists in 4-5 different forms that are randomly used in the text, so as to mimic real handwriting in the best possible way.

 

Why Charles Singleton's Translation? 

The difficulty of translating Dante’s Divine Comedy has dogged scholars for centuries.

As George’s understanding deepened, he embraced Charles Singleton’s version as the finest. Singleton sidestepped the hurdle of Dante’s interlocking rhyme scheme by offering his translation in prose, and thereby freeing him to aspire to superior linguistic accuracy. His profound knowledge of Dante, resulting from years of his own cutting-edge research, informed his every word choice.

His commentaries, published separately, explained his translation decisions and explicated areas of ongoing textural disagreement.

 

 

 

George Cochrane is an Artist and Professor of Fine Art at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Florham Park, New Jersey.  Cochrane’s foundational Italian experiences, including becoming fluent in the language, occurred during his junior year abroad. They began in Venice, as an intern at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. In Florence, his academic year included Studio Art and Italian language study through Sarah Lawrence’s resident program. He also studied Art History at the Università di Firenze.

 

Cochrane has widely exhibited his artwork, including the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA) in North Adams, and the Castello dei Conti Guidi, in Poppi, Italy. 

 

Columbia University invited Cochrane to publish his commentary on sixteen selected pages on their website “Digital Dante” (https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/image/cochrane-illustrations/).

The author has lectured and exhibited his Dante work in Italy and the U.S., and has upcoming events throughout the year.

The Museo Archeologico Nazionale dell’Umbria in Perugia will showcase Cochrane’s work in spring 2021.

 

 

 

What better way to reimagine Dante's work than to publish it with the help of businesses based in the same territory that Dante knew so well?

 

 

Facsimile Finder is a bookseller and publisher specializing in high-quality replicas of illuminated manuscripts. For the past 12 years, Facsimile Finder has been providing the world's leading universities and private collectors with first-rate reproductions of historical manuscripts.

  •  Clara Semprini, project manager
  •  Kiana Jones, editor and copywriter, press office manager
  •  Vanessa Para, photographer and videographer
  •  Sabrina Rossi, accounting and logistics
  •  Giacomo Cecchetti, publishing consultant
  •  Bottega dei Gozzi, artisanal bookbindery
  •  Alessio D'Ellena, typeface designer

Many thanks to Roberto Bini (Il Bulino) for borrowing the design of the deluxe acrylic case.

Risks & Challenges

As every other project in the world, from making pancakes to building a space rocket, there are small and big challenges that we expect to solve during the production process. The good news is the entire artistic work is finished, and that was true even before we started our Indiegogo campaign! Our long experience in the publishing business gives us plenty of alternatives in terms of suppliers and technical solution, so everything we expect to be challenging will be solved by our hands-on approach. George Cochrane, the artist, lives in New York City, while the publishing team, printing company, and the binding workshop are all based in Italy. The distance might have represented a risk but now that all the art is finished and already shipped to Italy the risk is negligible. We're keeping it safe and ready to become the most beautiful Divine Comedy you've ever seen!

Other Ways You Can Help

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  • Help us in getting the word out and make some noise about your campaign,
  • Remind to use the Indiegogo share tools!

 

 

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Choose your Perk

DIGITAL EDITION

DIGITAL EDITION

$35 USD $45 USD (22% off)
Get La Divina Commedia – The New Manuscript in digital format. Enjoy Dante's journey from your digital reader!
Included Items
  • DIGITAL EDITION
Estimated Shipping
October 2021
1 claimed
INFERNO PORTFOLIO

INFERNO PORTFOLIO

$129 USD $189 USD (31% off)
Receive a selection of 5 devilish artworks by George Cochrane preserved in an elegant cloth-covered portfolio (14 x 20"; 36 x 51 cm.). With a certificate of authentication signed by the artist.
Included Items
  • INFERNO PORTFOLIO
Estimated Shipping
October 2021
0 claimed
Ships worldwide.
ITALIAN ANNIVERSARY EDITION

ITALIAN ANNIVERSARY EDITION

$179 USD $289 USD (38% off)
Don't miss the ITALIAN Anniversary Edition! What you'll get: - 15 two-page spreads + Maps of the Afterlife: 33 Pages in Full Color - Red Hardcover Coffee Table Book with Custom Dante Overlay Design - Soft Slipcase - 3 Silk Book Markers – Black/Hell, Red/Purgatory, White/Heaven
Included Items
  • ITALIAN ANNIVERSARY EDITION
  • YOUR NAME ON THE BACKERS' LIST
  • SOFT SLIPCASE
  • 33 Full-color Pages
  • 3 Bookmarks
Estimated Shipping
October 2021
4 claimed
Ships worldwide.
ENGLISH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

ENGLISH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

$179 USD $289 USD (38% off)
Don't miss the ENGLISH Anniversary Edition! What you'll get: - 15 two-page spreads + Maps of the Afterlife: 33 Pages in Full Color - Red Hardcover Coffee Table Book with Custom Dante Overlay Design - Soft Slipcase - 3 Silk Book Markers – Black/Hell, Red/Purgatory, White/Heaven - Your Name Printed on the Backers List
Included Items
  • YOUR NAME ON THE BACKERS' LIST
  • SOFT SLIPCASE
  • 33 Full-color Pages
  • 3 Bookmarks
  • ENGLISH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Estimated Shipping
October 2021
11 claimed
Ships worldwide.
ITALIAN COLLECTOR EDITION

ITALIAN COLLECTOR EDITION

$269 USD $489 USD (44% off)
Save 44% NOW! Receive a printed copy of the ITALIAN Collector Limited Edition of La Divina Commedia – The New Manuscript. What you'll get: - 33 Pages in Full Color - Bodoni Binding w/ Elegant Black Edges - Custom Dante Overlay Design w/ Golden Details (Front/Back/Spine) - 3 Silk Book Markers - Your Name Printed on the Backers List
Included Items
  • YOUR NAME ON THE BACKERS' LIST
  • 33 Full-color Pages
  • 3 Bookmarks
  • ITALIAN COLLECTOR EDITION
  • Black & Gold Hard Slipcase
  • Bodoni Binding + Black Edges
Estimated Shipping
October 2021
6 out of 50 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
ENGLISH COLLECTOR EDITION

ENGLISH COLLECTOR EDITION

$269 USD $489 USD (44% off)
Save 44% NOW! Receive a printed copy of the ENGLISH Collector Limited Edition of La Divina Commedia – The New Manuscript. What you'll get: - 33 Pages in Full Color - Bodoni Binding w/ Elegant Black Edges - Custom Dante Overlay Design w/ Golden Details (Front/Back/Spine) - 3 Silk Book Markers - Your Name Printed on the Backers List
Included Items
  • YOUR NAME ON THE BACKERS' LIST
  • 33 Full-color Pages
  • 3 Bookmarks
  • Black & Gold Hard Slipcase
  • Bodoni Binding + Black Edges
  • ENGLISH COLLECTOR EDITION
Estimated Shipping
October 2021
19 out of 50 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
ITALIAN HERITAGE EDITION

ITALIAN HERITAGE EDITION

$489 USD $899 USD (45% off)
Receive a printed copy of the ITALIAN Heritage Limited Edition of La Divina Commedia – The New Manuscript. What you'll get: - 63 Pages in Full Color - Bodoni Binding w/ Elegant Black Edges - Premium Materials - Your Dedication Text on Back Cover in Gold Letters - Your Name Printed on the Backers List - The signature of the artist.
Included Items
  • YOUR NAME ON THE BACKERS' LIST
  • 3 Bookmarks
  • Black & Gold Hard Slipcase
  • Bodoni Binding + Black Edges
  • Custom Text of your choice
  • ITALIAN HERITAGE EDITION
  • 63 Full-Color Pages
  • Premium Materials
Estimated Shipping
October 2021
1 out of 30 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
ITALIAN GOLD EDITION

ITALIAN GOLD EDITION

$2,600 USD $4,980 USD (47% off)
Receive a printed copy of the ITALIAN Gold Limited Edition. What you'll get: - 63 Pages in Full Color - Dante Overlay Design in 24 Karat Gold Leaf - Hand-Bound w/ Wood Boards and Black Leather - Bodoni Binding w/ Elegant Golden Edges - Deluxe Rotating Acrylic Display - Your Name on the Backers List - The signature of the artist.
Included Items
  • YOUR NAME ON THE BACKERS' LIST
  • 3 Bookmarks
  • Custom Text of your choice
  • 63 Full-Color Pages
  • ITALIAN GOLD EDITION
  • Rotating Acrylic Display
  • Bodoni Binding + Golden Edges
Estimated Shipping
October 2021
0 out of 3 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
ENGLISH GOLD EDITION

ENGLISH GOLD EDITION

$2,600 USD $4,980 USD (47% off)
Receive a printed copy of the ENGLISH Gold Limited Edition. What you'll get: - 63 Pages in Full Color - Dante Overlay Design in 24 Karat Gold Leaf - Hand-Bound w/ Wood Boards and Black Leather - Bodoni Binding w/ Elegant Golden Edges - Deluxe Rotating Acrylic Display - Your Name on the Backers List - The signature of the artist.
Included Items
  • YOUR NAME ON THE BACKERS' LIST
  • 3 Bookmarks
  • Custom Text of your choice
  • 63 Full-Color Pages
  • ENGLISH GOLD EDITION
  • Rotating Acrylic Display
  • Bodoni Binding + Golden Edges
Estimated Shipping
October 2021
0 out of 3 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
ITALIAN EMPYREAN EDITION

ITALIAN EMPYREAN EDITION

$18,000 USD $33,000 USD (45% off)
Receive a copy of the ITALIAN Empyrean Limited Edition, individually personalized by the Artist. Hand colored by the artist, using magnificent ancient pigments: - 100 two-page spreads (200 pp.) - The final pages of the three canticles (6 pp.) - YOU, the backer, will select 3 two-page spreads (6 pp.) All the features of the Gold Edition.
Included Items
  • YOUR NAME ON THE BACKERS' LIST
  • 3 Bookmarks
  • Rotating Acrylic Display
  • Bodoni Binding + Golden Edges
  • EMPYREAN EDITION
Estimated Shipping
October 2021
0 out of 1 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
ENGLISH EMPYREAN EDITION

ENGLISH EMPYREAN EDITION

$18,000 USD $33,000 USD (45% off)
Receive a copy of the ENGLISH Empyrean Limited Edition, individually personalized by the Artist. Hand colored by the artist, using magnificent ancient pigments: - 100 two-page spreads (200 pp.) - The final pages of the three canticles (6 pp.) - YOU, the backer, will select 3 two-page spreads (6 pp.) All the features of the Gold Edition.
Included Items
  • YOUR NAME ON THE BACKERS' LIST
  • 3 Bookmarks
  • Rotating Acrylic Display
  • Bodoni Binding + Golden Edges
  • EMPYREAN EDITION
Estimated Shipping
October 2021
0 out of 1 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

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