DONI, Anton Francesco.

by Anton Francesco Doni

£6,950 · Offered by Sokol Books

The splendid binding, the first owner of which remains unidentified, is a lovely example of the centrepiece fashion popular in Italy and France, in the second half of the C16. Its construction contains both Italian and French elements. It is likely that the binding was produced in Switzerland, where different traditions met. In the second half of the C16, gilt angular lozenge-shaped centrepieces were frequently employed by the influential ‘King’s Binder’ in Geneva (e.g., BL C46h3, Davis594 and the more elaborate Davis593). A good copy of the first complete edition of the first, illustrated, bibliography of Italian literature, in print and ms. This is the first to unite both parts, originally published in 1550 and 1551. Anton Francesco Doni (1513-74) was a writer and translator who travelled widely in northern and central Italy, before settling in Venice. He was also an occasional printer and was involved with scholars of heterodox leanings, like Aretino. Indeed, he probably sponsored the production of the second edition in Italian of Agrippa’s ‘De incertitudine’ (1549). His most important work, ‘Libraria’ gathers together, though not in fully systematic fashion, all major works by Italian authors; unlike his predecessors, Trithemius and Gesner, he also included those in the vernacular, as well as music. Part I focuses on over 100 vernacular authors, in alphabetical order; each entry comprises a brief summary of the subjects, followed by the respective titles. Beside the likes

• Binding: Hardcover

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