A complete collection of approximately 320 regular issues and 23 Sunday supplements of the daily Italian satirical newspaper (lacking an issue no. 135 due to misnumbering in printing - numbers jump from 134 to 136 with no date missing) in two volumes, each issue 4 pp., some printed on blue paper, some sections continuously paginated. Large quarto (12 1/4 x 9 inches). Leather-backed boards with gilt-stamped title and ornament to spines, original issues bound in. Extremely light abrasions and bumping to boards, very light scattered toning and foxing, overall excellent. Napoli: Stamperia Parigina d'Alessandro Lebon/Tipografia di Borel e Bompard, 1848-1849.

A rare complete collection of the mid-19th century Italian humorous and satirical daily newspaper. Edited by Ferdinando Martello and later Luigi Bellisario, L'Arlecchino is considered one of the foundational works of Italian humorous journalism, born in large part from its historical context. Revolutions broke out all over Europe in 1848. Italy in particular was not a unified country at the time, but divided into many states. After revolts broke out in Sicily, Salerno, and Naples, King Ferdinand II and his army were driven out of Sicily. He granted a provisional government in an attempt to tamper the revolt, the constitution of which was very liberal for the time. One of the tenets of this constitution included freedom of speech and of the press.

In the wake of this new law, Naples became a center for humorous and satirical journalism. The groundbreaking publication of L'Arlecchino paved the way for the publication of many other similar newspapers elsewhere. L'Arlecchino was popular with the public for its bold but not violent satire. Its goal was not to offend its readers but rather to be "il più letto, il più salace e il più popolare di tutti i giornali del '48". Even King Ferdinand II himself is said to have been a reader.

L'Arlecchino only ran for a little over a year and encountered troubles during that time. The journal's offices were invaded in May of 1848 by Swiss soldiers, and the director at the time, Emmanuele Melisurgo, remained there to destroy anything that could be considered hostile towards the Bourbon regime. Melisurgo was led to the palace and initially ordered to be immediately executed, before being saved by an infantry officer. Following this event, publication paused for two weeks before resuming on May 29, 1848. Publication also ceased for a month in the spring of 1849 due to tax issues, before resuming on May 28, 1849 before ending entirely just three weeks later. The final issue was printed on June 16, 1849 by order of the attorney general of the Grand Criminal Court of Naples.

Each brief issue features one full-page lithographic illustration and a large half-page lithographic vignette near the title on the front page. Included in the second volume are the 23 issues published of the Sunday supplement, L'Arlecchino Nei Teatri. A scarce and important example of Italian humor and satire from an important time in Italy's political history; as of May 2026, OCLC locates six holdings in the United States.

Book ID: 53346

Price: $4,500.00