Guicciardini, Francesco

folio (396 x 270mm.), woodcut printer's device on title-page, woodcut initials (some historiated), small woodcut portrait of the author on A4v, woodcut printer's device on final verso (otherwise blank), contemporary limp vellum with yapp edges, a single stub remaining of blue silk ties, some early underlinings and annotations in red ink at start, some damp-staining at beginning and end (particularly in final quire), foredge of upper cover and some of lower cover defective, spine slightly torn in centre

Censimento 16 CNCE 22304; PMM 85

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

LARGE PAPER COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION, with some inconvenient sections removed from the text by Concini, secretary to Grand Duke Cosimo de' Medici, and without the final four books which were only published in 1564. Torrentino, the granducal printer, also produced an octavo edition in the same year, as did the Venetian printer Niccolò Bevilaqua. There were numerous other sixteenth-century editions. As Guicciardini had died in 1540, the dedication of this book to Grand Duke Cosimo was by Agnolo Guicciardini.

Guicciardini's history covers events in the Italian peninsula from 1490 to 1534. As a lawyer and statesman, he worked as a governor in the papal states and represented the Florentine state abroad, and was therefore well placed to understand events beyond his native city. He viewed the death of Lorenzo de' Medici as catastrophic not just for Florence but also for Italy; however he was not himself in favour of the Medici of his own time.