A. De Guevara - Aviso de' favoriti, e dottrina de' cortegiani, - 1581

Notice of favorites, and doctrine of courtiers, composed by the illustrious Mr. Don Antonio Guevara, Bishop of Mondogneto. Retranslated from Spanish into Italian. In Venice, published by Bernardo Giunti, 1581. 206 pages, (1); 16.5 x 10 cm. The copy is complete, but pages 17/20 were paginated after 24. The binding is not original, made of variegated cardboard. A leather title label is applied to the spine. Light foxing, but the frontispiece is not fresh; a stain at the top corner of the first 10 pages. The author is the Spanish Antonio De Guevara (circa 1480 – 1545), a writer and bishop, inquisitor of Toledo and Valencia. The work is a true treatise of rules and precepts to follow at court, a realistic, and in some respects even critical, testimony of court life, including information and advice on gastronomy, behavior, and social life.