CRESCENTIO, Petrus de

Opera di agricoltura. . Novame(n)te con grandissima fatica alla sua pristina forma restituita: e con diligenza stampata

      B. Vercellensis [for Sessa], Venice 1536 - Contemporary limp vellum with leather ties (recased with new end-papers) 8vo . Scarce edition, in Italian, of this important work on agriculture by Pier de "Crescenzi [who] is considered by authorities to rank with the best writers of his age. Ernst Meyer says . that in agriculture there is not found anyone of equal merit several centuries before or after his time. The Ruralia Commoda consists of twelve parts covering the following subjects; Agriculture in general; the nature of plants and the fertility of soil; the products of the fields, their use and culture; the grape- vine; trees; gardens and plants (describing about one hundred and twenty plants useful for medicine and nourishment); meadows and woods; pleasure gardens; and the four last parts deal with cattle breeding and husbandry" (Hunt, p. 5). "Piero Crescentio was born at Bologna, in 1230. He was seventy years of age when he undertook to write, in Latin, a sort of Gentleman's Recreation or Maison Rustique, in twelve books, crammed with information of all kinds likely to be of use to the gentleman farmer, chiefly about agriculture, horticulture and viticulture, hunting and fishing, and generally speaking, how to enjoy the 'fruits of the earth'" (Simon, Bibiotheca Gastronomica p. 42). Book four is devoted to viticulture and wine. A fine fresh copy bound in its original limp vellum. The fine woodcut title-border depicts floral themes with griffons and a cat and mouse (the symbol for Sessa's printing house). The full-page woodcut depicts the author surrounded by three scribes 392 leaves (leaf BBB8 blank). With woodcut title-border and full-page woodcut in text and woodcut initials. Sessa's cat and mouse device worked into woodcut border. § BM/STC 203; Adams C-2931; IA 146.769; Ceresoli 184; Sander 2240 "Page du titre, encadrement orné à la grotesque; dans le haut, le chat des Sessa. Bois de page, portrait de l'auteur assis in cathedra". [Attributes: Hard Cover]