Our Name:
Florio Editions is named in honour of John Florio, otherwise known as Giovanni Florio, who lived from 1553–1625. The son of a Tuscan, he was schooled in Germany; he was fluent in Italian, German, French, and English. He published the first Italian-English lexicon, A World of Words, in 1598. At the Court of King James I, he served as the languages tutor to Prince Henry and the Queen Consort, Anne of Denmark. He is reputed to have been a friend of Shakespeare's; he may have influenced his works, in relation to Continental languages, literatures, and cultures. He composed the first translation of Montaigne into English, a version still admired to this day.
Our Mission:
We publish literary translations from Western European languages into English, with a view to discovering little-known treasures. We are interested in works of all periods and genres, from the Old World and the New.
An Invitation to Translators:
If you have translated a book, please send us a cover-letter and a brief sample of your text, along with the corresponding original. Our e-mail is florioeditions@gmail.com