TOMMASINI, Fra Anselmo M. Irish Saints in Italy. Translated with additional notes by J. F. Scanlan.

Introduction by the Rev. Father Gregory Cleary, O.F.M. London: Sands & Company (Publishers) Ltd., 1937. First English edition. 8vo. pp. xvi, 532. Original publisher’s terracotta cloth, title lettered in black to spine. In the original printed dust jacket.

A landmark study of the Irish monastic and missionary tradition in Italy, tracing the lives and influence of Irish saints whose foundations and scholarship helped shape the religious and intellectual culture of medieval Europe. Originally published in Italian, this authoritative English translation brought Tommasini’s pioneering research to a wider readership, documenting the enduring legacy of figures including Columbanus, Gall, Cataldus and numerous lesser-known Irish ecclesiastics whose influence extended across the Italian peninsula. Gregory Cleary’s introduction and J. F. Scanlan’s additional notes further enhance the scholarly value of the work.

A very good copy. Light spotting to the endpapers and page edges, otherwise internally clean and sound. The unclipped dust jacket is complete but shows general age-toning, light soiling, and a number of chips and short tears, with loss at the head of the spine and upper panels. Despite these faults, the jacket remains an uncommon survival and substantially enhances the book’s desirability.

[L2 6E]