The Riccardi Press edition of Apulei Psyche et Cupido, edited by Louis C. Purser, represents a harmonious convergence of classical scholarship and the refined aesthetics of early twentieth-century fine printing. Published in London in 1913 by Philip Lee Warner for the Medici Society, this volume was issued as the fourth title in the press’s esteemed Scriptorum classicorum bibliotheca Riccardiana, a series dedicated to presenting Latin classics in an elegant and durable format befitting their enduring literary value. The book presents the celebrated tale of Cupid and Psyche, extracted from Apuleius’s larger novel Metamorphoses, a story that has captivated readers for centuries with its allegorical depth and narrative charm, tracing the mortal Psyche’s trials, her forbidden love with the god Cupid, and her ultimate ascent to divine immortality.
What distinguishes this edition is not merely the text itself but the meticulous care invested in its physical production. The Riccardi Press was renowned for its commitment to the principles of the private press movement, and this volume exemplifies that dedication. Printed on fine, handmade paper, the typography is notably crisp and graceful, with the title page elegantly executed in blue and black and a decorative initial capital in blue, lending an air of understated luxury to every opening. The edition was deliberately limited to a small number of copies, with the vast majority issued on paper and a select few on vellum for the most discerning collectors. The standard binding consists of limp vellum with decorative green silk ties, a choice that evokes the look and feel of Renaissance manuscripts and complements the classical content with a tactile sense of history. Under the careful production supervision associated with the Chiswick Press, every element of type, spacing, and layout was calibrated to create a reading experience that is both visually serene and intellectually stimulating. The result is a book that functions simultaneously as a scholarly resource, thanks to Purser’s careful editorial work and critical apparatus, and as a treasured work of art, embodying the enduring appeal of Apuleius’s myth through the timeless medium of the finely made book.
