"Testina Edition" of The Complete Works of Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli. TUTTE LE OPERE DI NICOLO MACHIAVELLI CITTADINO ET SECRETARIO FIORENTINO, DIVISE IN V. PARTI, ET DI NUOVO CON SOMMA ACCURATEZZA RISTAMPATE. [Geneva]: stated 1550 [i.e. 17th century]. 5 parts in one volume. "Testina" ed. Leather boards, with gilt lettering and designs and raised bands on spine, marbled paste-downs, all edges multi-colored speckled. 4to; [4] 8, 351, [1]; [4], 116; 14, 304; 168; 170. Italic type; text in Italian. With woodcut "testina," figures, and double-page illustration.
8 1/4 x 6 1/2 in.
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) was a Florentine political philosopher, historian, and writer with a significant influence on subsequent politicians and philosophers. His best known work, The Prince was published in 1532. His works were included in The Index beginning in the mid-16th century, making it forbidden for Catholics to print his works or read them. As a result, during the 17th century, editions in Italian were often printed in Switzerland and provided with a false date. The "Testina Editions," named after the "testina," or head, of Machiavelli included on the title page, are a well-known example of this with four of them printed in Geneva in the 1600s.
From the Collection of Professor Roberto Severino, Washington, D.C.
Additional high-resolution photos are available at www.lelandlittle.com

Boards with edgewear, including small leather losses, dents to back cover, and cracking at joints; bookplate to front paste-down, cracking at hinges; pages toned, with foxing and occasional small mark or stain. An overall clean and sturdy volume.