The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio is one of the most famous books in the history of world literature, arousing undying interest among a wide range of readers for over six centuries. Most of the hundred short stories in this collection, interconnected by a framing narrative, are devoted to the theme of love in its various forms. manifestations. The short stories are told over ten days in 1348 in the company of ten well-educated and witty young people who took refuge in a villa on the outskirts of Florence, devastated by the Black Death. In 1891-1892, a complete Russian translation of “The Decameron” was published (“with minor cuts”) ", now recognized as a classic, skillfully conveying the spirit and structure of the Italian original. It was completed by the luminary of Russian science, Academician A.N. Veselovsky. Since then, the second edition of this translation (1896) has been reproduced many times. Meanwhile, only a few bibliophiles could get acquainted with the “uncensored” version of this translation in those years, and until recently it was considered irretrievably lost. It is precisely this that is reproduced in this edition without any exceptions, and the subsequent editing carried out by Veselovsky was taken into account. Moreover, the notes reveal passages that he considered inconvenient for printing, in some cases limiting himself to copying them, and more often by giving their transcriptions. Of particular interest is the dramatic history of the appearance of this translation, which marked the entry of the Russian Empire into the era of censorship relaxations and impending revolutionary upheavals . Special attention is paid to the initiator of the translation - the outstanding domestic book publisher, educator and ascetic P.P. Konchalovsky. The unconditional value of this publication is given by the illustrative series, which fairly fully and representatively presents the history of illustrating The Decameron. In addition to illustrations related directly to the collection of short stories and the history of its Russian publication, this edition includes many that are dedicated to other works of Boccaccio, to himself, his friends and memorable places.