No. 400 Of 1500. Beautiful cover about fine, some interior foxing, slipcase intact, blue faded, sunned strips along top and sides; . Book is foxed on external pages with offset from the frontispiece on preceding pages, infrequent light spots of foxing throughout, last page has crease along fore-edge, cover fine, plain paper dust wrapper has closed tear and light chip, slipcase intact, box spine faded; 4to 11" - 13" tall; Signed by Illustrator. Illustrated by Valenti Angelo. Translations by

The story told in the poem is based on a relatively minor historical incident, the ambush or battle of Roncevaux Pass on August 15, 778, in which the rearguard of Charlemagne's retreating Franks was attacked by Basques. In this engagement, recorded by historian and biographer Einhard (Eginhard) in his Life of Charlemagne (written around 830), the trapped soldiers were slaughtered to a man; among them was "Hruodland, Prefect of the Marches of Brittany" (Hruodlandus Brittannici limitis praefectus).[1]

In view of the long period of oral tradition during which the ambush at Roncevaux was transformed into the Song of Roland, there can be no surprise that even the earliest surviving version of the poem does not represent an accurate account of history. Roland becomes, in the poem, the nephew of Charlemagne, the Basques become Saracens, and Charlemagne, rather than marching north to subdue the Saxons, returns to Spain and avenges the deaths of his knights.