Castiglione, Il libro del cortegiano, Venice, Aldus, 1533, contemporary Venetian morocco

Castiglione, Baldassarre. Il libro del cortegiano del conte Baldesar Castiglione. (Venice: heirs of Aldo Manuzio & heirs of Andrea Torresano, May 1533)

Second Aldine edition, corrected from the first (folio) edition, and now in a more convenient pocket-sized format. Gian Francesco Torresano has added a new short preface, addressed "alle gentili donne," in front of Castiglione's original.

8vo (164 x 100 mm). Italic type, 30 lines plus headline. collation: a-z⁸ A-D⁸ E⁴: 220 leaves. Woodcut Aldine device on title- page and final verso, manuscript note bound in at e3. (Soiling and repairs, foxing.)

binding: Contemporary dark brown blind-tooled Venetian morocco (170 x 110 mm), covers with elaborate border of scrolling arabesques framing three central knotwork tools, edges stained red with manuscript title or name.

provenance: Germund Ludvig Cederhielm (1755-1841), of Sörby (according to Hammer catalogue) — Christian Hammer (1818-1905), bookplate, and listed in Lindal's catalogue of his library (Berlin, 1886-1888), part VI, no. 34221. acquisition: Purchased from E.K. Schreiber, New York, 1985. references: UCLA 259; Cataldi Palau 123; Edit16 10063; Renouard 107/2