Boccaccio
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Boccaccio. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
GIOVANNI (bō-kätch'son of yō), an Italian novelist and poet, a Florentine merchant, was born in 1313, in Certaldo, a small town in the valley of the Elsa, 20 miles from Florence. He spent some years unprofitably in literary pursuits and the study of the canon law, but in the end devoted himself entirely to literature. In 1341 Boccaccio fell in love with Maria, an illegitimate daughter of King Robert of Naples, who returned his passion and is immortalized as Fiammetta in many of his best creations. His first work, a romantic love GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO tale in prose, "Filocopo," was written at her command; as was also the "Teseide," the first heroic epic in the Italian language, and the first example of the ottava rima. In 1341 he returned to Florence at his father's command, and during a three years' stay produced three important works, "Ameto," "L'amorosa Visione" and "L'amorosa Fiammetta," all of them connected with his mistress in Naples. In 1344 he returned to Naples, where Giovanna, the granddaughter of Robert, who had succeeded to the throne, received him with distinction. Between 1344 and 1350 most of the stories of the "Decameron" were composed at her desire or at that of Fiammetta. This work, on which his fame rests, consists of 100 tales represented to have been related in equal portions in 10 days by a party of ladies and gentlemen at a country house near Florence while the plague was raging in that city. On the death of his father, Boccaccio returned to Florence, where he was greatly honored. He was sent to Padua to communicate to Petrarch the tidings of his recall from exile and the restoration of his property. From this time an intimate friendship grew up between them. They both contributed greatly to the revival of the study of classical literature. In 1373 he was chosen by the Florentines to occupy the chair which was established for the exposition of Dante's "Divina Commedia." His lectures continued till his death. Among his other works may be mentioned "Filostrato," a narrative poem; "Il Ninfale Fiesolano," a love story; and several Latin works. The first edition of the "Decameron" appeared without date or place, but is believed to have been printed at Florence in 1469 or 1470. The first edition with a date is that of Valdarfer, Venice, 1471; what is, perhaps, the only existing perfect copy of , in 1812, for this was sold in London £2,260. He died in Certaldo, in 1375.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
bok-kat'cho (1313-1375), a celebrated Italian writer. He was the son of a wealthy merchant of Florence. He received the best education afforded by the times. He ranks with Dante and Petrarch as one of the three great founders of Italian literature . His reputation rests chiefly on the Decameron. This is a collection of tales written during the period when the Great Plague desolated Italy. It was designed to amuse the ladies of the court at a time when ordinary social pleasures were out of the question. The tales are united by the supposition that they are told by a party of ten people who have retired to a villa near Naples. Each tells ten tales; in all, bringing the number up to one hundred. It is supposed that Boccaccio got his idea from the Arabians, who, in turn, had it from the Hindus. The same plan was followed by Chaucer in his Canterbury Tales, and by Longfellow in his Tales of a Wayside Inn. Boccaccio's tales rank very high as specimens of literary style. His language is easy and correct. One of the most beautiful of the tales is that of Griselda, the last in the collection. Unfortunately for the present popularity of the Decameron, the author yielded so far to the coarseness, not to say to the prevailing indecency of the times, that his tales are now little read by people of good taste. In his later years, Boccaccio became a clergyman and a professor in the University of Florence. He lectured on Dante's Divine Comedy. He wrote a life of Petrarch. His former home, a beautiful villa, is still pointed out to travelers. See Petrarch ; Dante 2026 Editor's Note: The Decameron 's frame — young people fleeing a plague-struck city and telling stories to pass the time — found startled new readers during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was widely reread and imitated. Chaucer borrowed from Boccaccio freely, and the book's earthy realism helped set European fiction on its course. (Ed: BR 2026-06-14)