WMR comparative review of 2 ref works on Dante

comparative review of two reference works about Dante.

Rossetti, William M. "Enciclopedia Dantesca." Academy 3 (April 1, 1872): 121. Web. 21 Sept. 2011.

Rossetti considers two works about Dante: Enciclopedia Dantesca. Di Gius. Jacopo Prof Ferrazzi. Vol IV.: Bibliografia. Bassano: 1871. And Bibliographia Dante ab anno 1865 inchoata. Edit Julyius Petzholdt. Dresdae: 1872.

Rossetti discusses the two works and their authors separately. He pronounces the Ferrazzi volume to be a "full work" that rather than opening "fresh lines of investigation," provides material to fill in the blanks in other inquiries. Rossetti briefly mentions six such interesting and newly gathered documents cited in the Ferrazzi text, then points out some of the factual errors and the less than optimal organization of the study. Nonetheless, Rossetti finds the volume and Ferrazzi creditable and worthwhile. The section of the essay related to the new discoveries seems almost to promote the study of Dante more than to comment on the work of Ferrazzi.

By contrast, Rossetti's discussion of the Petzholdt volume comprises only one long paragraph that mostly focuses on the deficit of this volume compared to the Ferrazzi text. The former volume, according to Rossetti, is of very limited detail and includes a catalogue of art pieces of German origin.

critical

comparison, value, accomplishment, accuracy, analysis

accuracy, completeness, comparative achievement

Ferrazzi, Petzholdt, Signor G. Milanesi, Ignaz Kollmann, Van Eyck

evaluative

methodical, occasional uncharacteristic emphasis (e.g., "but van Eyck of all men in the world!"), comparative

". . . a perfect mine of information;" ". . . singularly interesting documents;" ". . . a truly useful result."