1778 Gerusalemme liberata by TORQUATO TASSO antique ILLUSTRATED 2 volumes

Tasso, TorquatoGerusalemme liberataLondon, G.T. Masi e Com.; 17782 volumes XIV,331; 337p.; 2 engr. titles, portrait and 21 plates by G. and P. LAPI and F. GREGORIOriginal uniformed calf with ribbed richly gilt floral spine w/ red morocco letterpiece, red edgesVery good condition, some wear of leatherSize 4 by 6 1/3 inches Rare editionText in Italian==========================================Jerusalem Delivered, also known as The Liberation of Jerusalem ('The freed Jerusalem'),  is an epic poem by the Italian poet Torquato Tasso, first published in 1581, that tells a largely mythified version of the First Crusade in which Christian knights, led by Godfrey of Bouillon, battle Muslims in order to take Jerusalem.Tasso's choice of subject matter, an actual historic conflict between Christians and Muslims (albeit with fantastical elements added), had a historical grounding and created compositional implications (the narrative subject matter had a fixed endpoint and could not be endlessly spun