Introduction

In 1348 the Black Death ravages Florence and corpses lie heaped in the streets. Seven young women and three young men meet in the church of Santa Maria Novella and agree to flee together to villas outside the city. To pass the time they agree that each will tell a story every day; over ten days they tell a hundred stories, and so the book is named, 'the ten days'. Some tell of the hypocrisy and greed of the clergy, some of the wit of merchants, the stratagems of lovers and the tricks of fortune, some of faithful love and noble generosity; its characters come from every rank of society, its language is lively and vivid, and it is full of delight in human intelligence and desire. Regarded as the founding work of the European short story and a herald of the Renaissance, we publish it complete in volumes.