Inferno (Barnes & Noble Signature Editions)

For his fateful journey through the perilous terrain of the Inferno, Dante is lead by Virgil, the great poet of classical Rome. They begin at the dark and savage wood near the Inferno entrance and then enter into its nine circles going deeper, one after another, in sin. Along the way, Dante meets an array of sinners from Christian and classical history and legend. Dante also meets his Italian contemporaries, chief among them, Florentines and neighboring Tuscans. These sinners were those whose factiousness and greed had severed the civic bonds and wrecked Florence and Tuscany, and Dante the author’s own life there, and undermined peace.

From The Eternal Rain to The Frozen Lake of Cocytus, from The Furies and Medusa to Count Ugolino and the Archbishop Ruggieri, the Inferno continues to fascinate readers since it was first published in 1317.