ESERCIZI CRISTIANI UNITI, E FATTI RISTAMPARE A SUA SPESA DA LIARCAO FLUARICE NEAPERY. C.F.N.P. [A Privately Published Collection of Spiritual Exercises in Italian.]

Nell' Anno 1785., 1785.. Very good. - Tricesimo-secondo (32mo), 5-1/2 inches high by 3-5/8 inches wide. Hardcover, bound in full brown calf elaborately decorated in gilt with the initials C.F.N.P on the front and back covers and titled with decorations in gilt between raised bands on the spine. Marbled pastedowns further enhance the binding. All edges are gilt. The corners are bumped and the covers are slightly warped. 128 pages, with a woodcut initial on the first page of the prayer book. The front edges of the endpapers and title page are slightly stained and there is some minor occasional foxing. There is a small hole to the front margin of page 55 and a small piece of the corner of page 73 has been repaired. A beautifully printed and bound book.

RARE. We have been unable to locate another copy.

From the library of Agostino Ferrante di Ruffano (1885-1974) the Consul General of his Majesty, the King of Italy, in Frankfurt am Main (1936-1939) and Dresden (1940-1943). He was imprisoned in 1943 by the German Reich authorities and later by the Italian authorities for refusing to recognize the Mussolini government.

The author writes in his introduction: "L.F.N. Al Christiano. / Molti, e vari libri ci sono di Cristiani Esercizi y onde disutil cosa sembra darne degli altri alla luce. A me intanto e piaciuto, per mio vantaggio, e de'miei amici farne ristampar uno, con cui render piu comodi, tutti, e quei soli atti di pieta, da quali, senza dubio, un uomo Cristiano non vien disobligato, essendoci di mezzo, per lo malagevole aspro sentiero, che a virtu conduce. Qualunque maggiore occupazione non deve assolutamente esentarvi di cominciar la giornata da Dio unico, e sommo Bene, per cio eseguire qui trovate un epilogo d'atti, d'affetti, proponimenti, preghiere, ricordi, e massime migliori della nostra Cattolica Religione."