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Author: Machiavelli, Niccolo
Title: Historie Fiorentine di Niccolo Machiauelli cittadino, et segretario fiorentino. Al santiss. et beatiss. padre. S.N. Clemente settimo pontefice mass
Place Published: In Firenze
Publisher:Per Bernardo di Giunta
Date Published: 1532
Description:

[4], 9-224 leaves.  Signatures: A4, B-2E8. 19.8x22.6 cm. (7¾x5"), 19th century full red morocco ruled in gilt, spine tooled & lettered in gilt, gilt inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. First Florence Edition (& possible first edition overall).

Niccolo Machiavelli's significant history and historiography of Florence, Italy, called by the Encyclopedia Britannica "the first example in Italian literature of a national biography, the first attempt in any literature to trace the vicissitudes of a people's life in their logical sequence, deducing each successive phase from passions or necessities inherent in preceding circumstance, reasoning upon them from general principles, and inferring corollaries for the conduct of the future." After Machiavelli's death in 1527 there was a rush to publish his remaining works, and a fierce competition began between the Roman printer Blado and the Florentine printer Guinta to be the first to press. Although Giunta had been given the approval of Machiavelli's heirs, both Blado's and Giunta's editions of The Florentine History appeared almost simultaneously. It is now presumed that Blado's Roman edition, dated 25 March 1532, preceded Giunta's by two days. Some copies of the Giunta edition are dated 27 March 1532 in the colophon, while others such as the present copy are dated 16 March 1532. It is possible that Giunta printed an incorrect 16 March date to convince the public that his edition was indeed first. This copy without the final four errata leaves, signed 2F4, as is often the case.

Spine and edges scuffed, lacking lower half inch of spine strip; top margin of title-page replaced, stain along gutter of its verso; some worming to final two leaves with some repairs to lower portions; the first signature appears to have been washed and resized; some light foxing within, very good.