Description
Venice: appresso Francesco De Franceschi, 1565. 4to., architectural wood-engraved title with arms and devices of Cosimo de' Medici (dedicatee), oval woodcut portrait of author on verso, 82 woodcuts in the text (1 double-page), historiated woodcut initials, later vellum, edges worn and joints splitting, top of the title page just trimmed, title page a little discoloured and general light paper discolouration throughout, some neat early marginal repairs to first few leaves, some water staining of the last few leaves and the index leaves water stained and with some neat early repairs
Footnote
Note: USTC 808306. First quarto edition of Cosimo Bartoli's Italian translation. The woodcuts are reversed copies of the folio editions of 1550 and 1565. Alberti's celebrated ten books on the theory of classical architecture (first published in Latin in 1485) became famous through the vernacular translations of the 16th century. The new dedication to Cosimo de' Medici explains the need for a further edition due to the great demand for copies of the Florence 1550 folio imprint.