The Original Book of Love Poems
The perfect Valentine's gift for your love

A Brief History (purchasing information below)

In 1304 a child by the name of Francesco was born. His family, exiled from Florence because of their religious beliefs moved to France where Francesco was raised and educated in the arts of law. But finding no love for the profession he left school after his father's death.

A year later while attending a Good Friday mass at his church he saw a woman named Laura. Falling madly in love with her she would haunt his days and dreams for his entire life. But sadly she was already married and could not return his feelings for her.

Laura would die several years later in 1348 due to the plague, but Francesco Petrarch's love for her wouldn't. His life was filled with travel and adventure. He would write to Lords and Kings and be key to uniting his home land and leading the world out of the Dark Ages and into the Renaissance.

But throughout his life his love for the girl named Laura would always be there. He took enormous amounts of pride in the Latin works he wrote, but what he is best known for is his Canzoniere a series of 366 poems he wrote about Laura. Poems he referred to as scattered thoughts and random rhymes.

Petrarch died on July 19th, 1374, with a pen in his hand and and Laura in his heart. Years later a humanist traveling to Avignon opened the tomb of one he believed to be Petrarch's Laura. Inside her tomb, buried with her all those years ago was a lead box, the symbol of a woman clutching at her heart on the lid, and inside, a sonnet by Petrarch.

The Canzoniere has since been translated into every language and spread to every corner of the world. It includes 366 poems, most of them sonnets, about Laura, the one love in his life that would never die.

Purchase the Canzoniere
(Purchasing from Amazon.com, order now to ensure delivery before Valentine's Day)

I'll be honest, I don't know a single thing about women, but do I know this. On Valentine's Day when you retell this story to your wife or girlfriend and give her this book, it won't matter if you've been together one year or fifty years, it will be the greatest gift anyone has ever given her.

I have found two copies of the book which would make great gifts.

	Longing for Laura This book only contains 24 of the 366 poems of the Canzoniere. The collection was chosen to show Petrarch's deepest and strongest feelings for Laura from the first moment they met until well after her death, and the author does a great job at it. This is the book I would recommend for most people. Buy now from Amazon.com.
	The Complete Canzoniere This is a great version of all 366 poems with the original Italian and the English translation side by side. Its not as romantic because its more of a reference/scholar book than a romantic gift. I recommend this one for those who already have an deep interest in poetry. Buy now from Amazon.com