The Old Yellow Book: Source of Robert Browning's The Ring and the Book

A weather‑worn manuscript rescued from the archives of Rome opens a window onto a shocking 1698 murder that seized the city’s imagination. The pages record the brutal splintering of the Comparini household, the desperate last moments of the wounded Pompilia, and the frantic chase that brought the assassins back to the capital’s streets. Over the following weeks the document follows the public spectacle of trial, the fervent crowds that gathered in the Piazza del Popolo, and the relentless legal arguments offered by both prosecution and defence as the fate of the noble conspirator Guido hung in the balance.

Edited and translated for modern readers, the volume presents the original court transcripts alongside careful annotations that illuminate the language and customs of the era. For anyone drawn to the intersection of history, law, and literary inspiration, this collection reveals the raw material that sparked one of the nineteenth century’s most ambitious poetic dramas, offering a vivid glimpse into the theatricality of early modern justice.