Del Primo (-sesto) libro de le Lettere di M. Pietro Aretino

Paris: Matreo il Maestro, 1609. Later Edition. Hardcover (Vellum). Very Good Condition. 3 volumes in contemporary limp vellum, remains of ties, some discoloration to vellum, occasional creasing to a few early leaves, end papers rumpled and a little torn, the third book is lacking the final two pages of the table (ends at M), generally fine otherwise. 6 books bound in 3. [6], 283; [10], 325; [8], 362; [8], 296; [8], 338, [6]; [8], 301 leaves.

One of the most singular figures in the Renaissance, Aretino was a poet, playwright, schemer, satirist, and pornographer who made a career out of infiltrating the highest levels of society and then alternately satirizing them in his writings, or blackmailing them. For a time his patron was Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, and he mocked Popes and would be popes, but in time he settled in Venice - the Anti-Rome. Ariosto called him "the scourge of Princes". He is remembered most for his satires and his letters which detail conversations with both the great names of the day as well as regular folk, both women and men. His ability to manipulate the reader of his letters - which were carefully chosen and probably always meant for publication - by constructing a compelling narrative with himself as central protagonist - changed epistolary collections forever. Size: Octavo (8vo). Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: History; Erotica. Inventory No: 046398.