Arnaud d’Ossat - Lettere a Principi - 1629

Secret Letters of the Princes of Europe: The Laboratory of Modern Diplomacy
First Italian edition of Letters to Princes by Arnaud d’Ossat, which constitutes one of the most significant seventeenth-century testimonies of European diplomacy between the late 1500s and early 1600s, when politics was primarily exercised through written words. Translated, organized, and presented by Girolamo Canini d’Anghiari, the extensive epistolary corpus of the French cardinal is offered to the Italian public as a true manual of practical politics, negotiation, prudence, and the art of governance. The letters, largely addressed to the royal secretary Villeroi and partly to Henry IV of France, reveal from within the delicate balances between the French monarchy, the papacy, and Italian states, transforming private correspondence into a tool for political, historical, and rhetorical education. The volume thus restores the image of a Europe governed by mediation, calibrated language, and the ability to read the times, offering rare access to the daily mechanisms of power.
Market value
In the antique market, the first Venetian edition of 1629, especially if preserved in its original binding in loose parchment, generally falls within a range of 200 to 400 euros. The presence of all three complete parts with their respective frontispieces, intact dedications, and documented historical provenances significantly contributes to the overall valuation of the specimen.

Physical description and condition
Original thick parchment volume, obtained from the reuse of ancient parchment with visible traces of previous drawings; handwritten title on the back and at the lower edge. Work in three books bound into a single volume, each with a xylographic frontispiece featuring the Venetian typographic emblem depicting a crowned woman sitting on a lion in the sea holding a scepter. Initials and xylographic borders within the text. Signs of use on the binding with writings, stains, cracks, and a split at the spine near a nerve; small wormholes along the upper inner margin of some pages; widespread humidity stains, foxing, and browning. In ancient books, with a multi-century history, some imperfections may be present that are not always noted in the description. Pages: (2), 8 unnumbered, 196; 8 unnumbered, 184; 8 unnumbered, 200; (2).

Full title and author
Letters to princes concerning political negotiations and compliments, by Mr. Cardinal d’Ossat.
Venetia, near Giacomo Sarzina, 1629.
Arnaud d’Ossat

Context and Significance
The letters cover a crucial chronological period, from 1593 to 1604, marked by Henry IV's conversion, the normalization of relations with Rome, and the reorganization of Italian and European political balances. In an era when diplomacy was built through writing, d’Ossat's correspondence becomes a privileged observatory on the birth of modern politics, based on continuous negotiation, confessional balance, and consensus management. The Italian translation responds to a specific interest of seventeenth-century Venice in models of government, mediation, and European political language, making the volume a tool for study and imitation for jurists, ecclesiastics, and statesmen.

Biography of the Author
Arnaud d’Ossat was born in 1537 and died in 1604. A French cardinal and diplomat, he was one of the main architects of the reconciliation policy between Henry IV and the Holy See. Gifted with extraordinary political intelligence and rhetorical finesse, he made letter writing an essential tool for persuasion, analysis, and governance, leaving a correspondence of exceptional historical and documentary value.

Printing history and circulation
The Venetian edition of 1629 represents the first printed Italian translation of d’Ossat's entire epistolary corpus. Printed by Giacomo Sarzina, it fits within the solid Venetian editorial tradition of political and diplomatic texts aimed at an educated audience professionally involved in public life. The circulation of the work was extensive and long-lasting, as evidenced by the numerous institutional and private provenance preserved in the surviving copies.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Edit16, CNCE.
Brunet, J.-C., Manual for booksellers and book lovers.
Biographical Dictionary of Italians, entries Canini d’Anghiari, d’Ossat.