Le istorie delle Indie Orientali... tradotte di Latino in lingua Toscana, 4to , 22 x 16 cm, ,vellum and cartonato binding, 1st edition in Italian translated by Francesco Serdonati, 2 parts work, with the 1st part divided in 16 chapters till page 662, from page 663 till 930 start with letters translated and divided in 4 chapters woodcut device on title, later blank, (LVII),930,VI ,later blank pages. condition as from photo 1st quire coming a bit loose, fingertips, staining and else Fr. Maffei lived twelve years in Portugal in order to get information needed. He relied on unpublished Acosta's manuscript and others, reporting the Portuguese discoveries, missions of the Jesuits in India, East Indies, America, Persia, Japan, China, Brazil (three chapters) and other parts of America. The 2nd part contains S. Francisco Xavier's letters, with the final 2 letters of Luís de Almeida and Francisco Henriques coming from Brazil. The first edition of this work was published in Florence, in 1588. " The work is considered as one of the most important sources for early travel and exploration, regarding the Far East. Many interesting letters from Jesuits in Japan, China, India and Goa are included, and it also contains a considerable body of information on the early European history of Brazil. ref - [Cordier (Sinica) 783; Alden 589.42; Sabin 43777; Palau 146993; Borba de Maraes (1983) p.508],