Vita e Lettere di Amerigo Vespucci Gentiluomo Fiorentino.

Illustrated with a full-page woodcut portrait of Vespucci, and a large folding woodcut genealogical chart. 4to. Bound in original publisher's temporary boards, ink letters on spine. Florence 1745. First Edition of the first monograph on Amerigo Vespucci.

The first 76 pages give an account of his life and voyages, followed by his own account of his 4 voyages to America, and 3 letters to Lorenzo de Medici describing his voyages. This volume prints for the first time the third letter to de Medici. The letters are considered by many historians to me more important than the actual voyages. Vespucci states for the first time in these letters that the Americas are a new continent, not islands near China. Although the authorship of the letters is disputed – whether they were written by Vespucci himself, or by one of his companions on the voyages – the fact remains that these are critically important to the understanding of the New World.


Contemporary inked quote in Italian from Cicero on the title which begins "Sight is the scourge of the ignorant…" Binding slightly soiled, with several small ink marks; ¾-inch section at head of spine repaired; spine darkened and creased. One very small tear in the inner crease of the folding plate, not affecting text; o/w a solid, bright copy. Untrimmed. Scarce.