Aleandro il Giovane - Difesa dell'Adone - 1629

DEFENSE OF THE ADONE BY GIOVAN BATTISTA MARINO. THE YOUNG GIROLAMO ALEANDRO, VENICE 1629
ABSTRACT
First edition of the famous defense of the Adone by Giovan Battista Marino, composed by Girolamo Aleandro the Younger in response to the severe critiques raised by Tommaso Stigliani in the Occhiale. The work belongs to the lively literary polemic that accompanied the fortunes of the Adone and constitutes one of the main testimonies of the critical reception of Marino’s poem in the early seventeenth century. The publication appeared posthumously, a few months after the author’s death, which occurred in Rome in March 1629. The edition was printed in Venice by Giacomo Scaglia.

WHY TO BUY
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL RARITY – First edition of the first part of the Defense of the Adone, published in 1629.
MARINIST POLEMIC – Direct document of the celebrated literary controversy surrounding Marino’s Adone.
GIROLAMO ALEANDRO – Work by Girolamo Aleandro the Younger, a learned poet and scholar active in the Roman literary circles of the early seventeenth century.
HISTORICAL-LETTERARY IMPORTANCE – Significant testimony to the reception of the Adone and the critical battle between Marino’s supporters and Tommaso Stigliani.

MARKET VALUE
Interesting copy for collections of Italian seventeenth-century literature, Marinism, history of literary criticism, and literary polemics. The presence of the contemporary parchment binding in full leather and the good legibility of the text enhance its collectible appeal. Value between 300 and 400 euros.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Copy in a contemporary full leather binding, with gilt decorations to the back and a manuscript label; binding worn, with abrasions, small defects at the ends of the back and corners, but still intact. Woodcut printer’s mark on the title page, initials and woodcut ornaments, text in italic and roman type. Interior browned and with normal foxing, some stains and signs of use, some signs of consultation and handwritten annotations. In old books with a long history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. This listing includes AI Visualizations. Refer to the original photographs to verify the actual condition of the object. Images are an integral part of the description. Pp. (6); 24nn; 420; (6).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Defense of the Adone by Giovan Battista Marino.
In Venetia, presso Giacomo Scaglia, 1629.
Girolamo Aleandro the Younger.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Giovan Battista Marino’s Adone, published in 1623, sparked extensive literary debate. Tommaso Stigliani intervened with the Occhiale, published in 1627, formulating numerous criticisms of the poem. Aleandro took a stand in defense of Marino and composed the Defense of the Adone, developed according to the structure of the controversy and dedicated to refuting Stigliani’s observations. The first part was published in Venice in 1629; a second part, issued in 1630, completed the work.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Girolamo Aleandro the Younger (1574–1629), nephew of the famous Cardinal Girolamo Aleandro, was a poet, scholar of antiquities and philology. He was a member of the Roman Academy of the Umoristi, where he took the academic name “Aggirato,” and he actively participated in Roman cultural life. The Defense of the Adone represents one of the most significant episodes of his literary activity and was published posthumously in 1629, a few months after his death.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The 1629 edition was printed in Venice by Giacomo Scaglia. The bibliography record SBN notes the edition as a monograph in 12° format, with [24], 420 pages and a woodcut mark on the title page, initials and woodcut ornaments. The second part, published in 1630 again by Giacomo Scaglia, comprises [12], 264 pages and was conceived as a completion of the edition of the previous year, despite the author’s death having prevented a final revision of the text.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU/SBN, record RAVE002400, Defense of the Adone, poem of the Cau. Marini by Girolamo Aleandri in reply to the Occhiale of Cau. Stigliani, In Venetia, presso Giacomo Scaglia, 1629; OPAL, Resources for the Italian Literature of the XVIIth Century; Treccani, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, entry “Aleandro, Girolamo, the Younger”; C. Carminati, Giovan Battista Marino between Inquisition and Censorship; E. Bellini, Humanists and Lincei; O. Besomi, studies on Tommaso Stigliani and the polemic around the Adone.