Abelard and Heloise: The Story of His Misfortunes and The Personal Letters (The Folio Society)

130 pp. Translated into English from the original French by Betty Radice, wood engravings by Raymond Hawthorn. In addition to the frontispiece, there are 13 head-pieces by Hawthorn. The text is a translation of Pierre Abelard's Historia calamitatum and of his letters, written in the first half of the twelfth century. The story of Abelard and Heloise remains one of the world's most celebrated and tragic love affairs. Through their letters, we follow the path of their romance from its reckless and ecstatic beginnings when Heloise became Abelard's pupil, through the suffering of public scandal and enforced secret marriage, to their eventual separation.