In a comment to yesterday’s post I mentioned the Italian-language 1931 Nerbini edition of the Arabian Nights, mentioning that it is still available through eBay and antiquarian bookstores and used books stalls, and that the 130 illustrations by Tancredi Scarpelli alone are worth the price of admission.
Well, why not do a gallery of Scarpelli’s various illustrations?

Tancredi Scarpelli was born in 1866, and is traditionally connected with Nerbini, publisher in Florence.
Through a long career Scarpelli illustrated classics (The Bethroted, The Divine Comedy), adventure novels (The Three Musketeers, a lot of books bi Emilio Salgari), and history books for young readers. He also created the artwork for comic-book editions of the adventures of Nick Carter, Nat Pinkerton, Giuseppe Petrosino and Lord Lister.
He died in 1937.
What follows is a small selection of his work.

LLM454567 Count Ugolino della Gherardesca and his sons left to starve in the Muda by Scarpelli, Tancredi (1866-1937); Private Collection; (add.info.: Count Ugolino della Gherardesca and his sons left to starve in the Muda. Illustration for Storia d’Italia by Paolo Giudici (Nerbini, 1930).); © Look and Learn; Italian, out of copyright

LLM456858 Chinese costumes – Emperor, Mandarin, and Military Mandarin by Scarpelli, Tancredi (1866-1937); Private Collection; (add.info.: Chinese costumes – Emperor, Mandarin, and Military Mandarin. Illustration for Storia de Costume dei Popoli by Paolo Lorenzini (Nerbini, 1934).); © Look and Learn; Italian, out of copyright

LLM456952 Ludovico de Varthema and the Sultana of Aden by Scarpelli, Tancredi (1866-1937); Private Collection; (add.info.: Ludovico de Varthema and the Sultana of Aden. Illustration for Storia dei Viaggiatori by Paolo Lorenzini (Nerbini, 1937).); © Look and Learn; Italian, out of copyright

LLM456905 Battle between l’Orebana and a tribe of women near the river Amazon by Scarpelli, Tancredi (1866-1937); Private Collection; (add.info.: Battle between l’Orebana and a tribe of women near the river Amazon. Illustration for Storia dei Viaggiatori by Paolo Lorenzini (Nerbini, 1937).); © Look and Learn; Italian, out of copyright

Author: Davide Mana

Paleontologist. By day, researcher, teacher and ecological statistics guru. By night, pulp fantasy author-publisher, translator and blogger. In the spare time, Orientalist Anonymous, guerilla cook.