Della Casa, Rime, et prose, Venice, Bevilacqua for Gimini, 1558, half calf

Della Casa, Giovanni. Rime, et prose di m. Giouanni Della Casa. Venice: Niccolò Bevilacqua for Erasmo Gimini, October 1558

First edition, containing the first appearance of Il Galateo, a famous treatise on courtesy suggested to Della Casa by Galeazzo Florimonte, Bishop of Sessa. It takes the form of advice on social behavior and personal demeanor given by an elderly gentleman to a young student. The work became synonymous with etiquette books and was published separately in another edition in the following year. This edition was printed with the types and woodcut initials used by Paolo Manuzio for the Accademia Veneziana.

4to (228 x 158 mm). Roman type, 28 lines. collation: a⁴ b² A-X⁴ Y²: 92 leaves. Woodcut historiated initials. (Small wormhole to lower margin of C1-2, F2 signed E2, minor foxing and stray soiling, V-Y2 with more foxing and toned.)

binding: Eighteenth-century half calf over marbled boards (234 x 170 mm), spine gilt decorated with two morocco lettering- pieces, red and blue speckled edges. (Front hinge a little loose, slight loss to upper lettering-piece and at foot of spine, a few scuffs, old auction catalogue note laid down on verso of front free-endpaper.)

provenance: Marchese Francesco Maria Riccardi del Vernaccia (1794-1845?), armorial bookplate to pastedown — Nineteenth-century notes on verso of front free endpaper. acquisition: Purchased from Leo S. Olschki, Florence, 1970. references: Not in UCLA; Renouard 175/15; Edit16 16461; USTC 826234