Il Cortegiano del Conte Baldessar Castiglione (The Courtier). Revisto per M. Lodocico Dolce.

Lyon: Gulielmo Rovillio, 1562 1562 Italian pocket edition, published a year after the first English edition. 32mo. (4¾x2¾). Pp. 494, [34]. Text in Italian. Decorative woodcut chapter headings and initials. Later half black morocco, gilt lettering, pebbled cloth sides. Contemporary ink name at head of title page, light damp stain to first 70 pages. Overall, a very good copy, tight and clean. As in all copies of this edition, page 324 is incorrectly numbered 224. The publisher of this edition (with the publisher’s woodcut device on title page) was Guglielmo Rovillio, whose refined books in Italian were highly prized among the wealthy Italian community in Lyon. The Book of the Courtier was written by Baldassare Castiglione over the course of many years, beginning in 1508, and first published in 1528 just before the author’s death. The work is a courtesy book and addresses the constitution of a perfect courtier. Castiglione’s work is an example of the Renaissance dialogue, a literary form that incorporated elements of drama, conversation, philosophy, and essay. It is considered the definitive account of Renaissance court life and is cited frequently. The Book of the Courtier was one of the most widely distributed books of the 16th century with editions printed in six languages and in twenty European centers. It is organized as a series of fictional conversations that occur between the courtiers of the Duke of Urbino in 1507 (when the author was in fact part of the Duke’s Court). In the book, the courtier is described as having a cool mind, a good voice along with proper bearing and gestures. At the same time, the courtier is expected to have a warrior spirit, to be athletic, and have good knowledge of the humanities, classics and fine arts. Over the course of four evenings, members of the court try to describe the perfect gentleman of the court. In the process they debate the nature of nobility, humor, women and love..