Title: Trattato della natura de' cibi, e del bere con le virtu loro, vitij, rimedij, & historie naturali, 1584
Author: Baldassare Pisanelli
Publisher: In Genova
Condition: Poor
An extremely scarce late 16th century edition of Pisaneli’s Trattato della natura de' cibi, printed only one year after the 1583 first edition. Dealing with eating and drinking, this gastronomical work goes in length on the natural history and various uses and qualities of different foods, including fruits and vegetables, meats and alternatives, dairy products, and more. Pisanelli also goes in length on the dietary benefits of eating and drinking to adhere to bodily requirements. Much of the history of food is drawn from ancient mythology and the works of such authors like Plato, Aristotle, and others.
The final section is entirely focused on drinking, focusing on such topics as the rules to consuming liquids, and responsible consumption of alcohol.
Although the date of publication has been worn away, this Genova imprint and the collation matches solely with the 1584 edition, and not the 1587 edition.
Worldcat records 7 existing copies of this edition in libraries.
One vellum bound volume in 16mo, (24)+275 pages
On note of condition, this volume is in poor shape, with rubbing and wear to the binding, a large portion of the vellum lacking from the front, and the cover flapping out. The first 3 and last 2 leaves are rubbed and worn, with some text loss to the corners, and the date of publishing having been worn away on the title page. There is light foxing and staining to some pages. A portion of page 199-200 is lacking. The gutters are heavily exposed at pages 117-118, with the gathering of pages 118 to 145 hanging on by a single thread. There is light staining throughout.