How to train a falcon

Carcano, Francesco Sforzino da. Tre libri de gli uccelli da rapina. Ne quali si contiene la vera cognitione dell’ arte de stroccieri, & il modo di conoscere, ammaestrare reggere and medicare tutti gli augelli rapaci. Con un trattato de cani del medesimo.

Venice, Gabriel Giolito de' Ferrari, 1568.

8vo. (16), 249, (3) pp., 1 final blank leaf. With a full-page woodcut in the text (illustration of hawking instruments), woodcut initials and ornaments, printer's device on title page and different, larger device at the end. Contemporary vellum (spine professionally repaired).

 6.500,00

First edition - the edition of 1547 mentioned by Harting and Souhart does not seem to exist, propably confused with Federico Giorgi's work - of the best-known and most authoritative of 16th century Italian books on falconry, the breeding and training of falcons, their ailments, etc. "Carcano states in his Preface that this treatise is the result of forty years' experience as a falconer, and the perusal of all the Italian and French books he could find relating to Falconry [...] The author's reputation as a falconer caused this book to become very popular, and it not only passed through several editions [...], but was extensively copied by subsequent writers, as, for example, Raimondi and Turberville" (Harting, p. 142f.). "An interesting treatise on falcons and sporting dogs, with remedies for their diseases" (Schwerdt). The full-page woodcuts shows a set of veterinary instruments for use by the falconer.

Occasional slight brownstaining; a minute paper flaw to margin of fol. P3 (barely touching text). Lacks 2 leaves of dedication in the preliminaries, not bound with all copies, and the second of the two final blanks, otherwise a fine copy.

Literatur

Harting 267 (p. 141). Adams C 644. BM-STC Italian 148. IA 132.009. Bongi II, 271. Souhart 86. Ceresoli 132. Schwerdt I, 94.

Art.-Nr.: BN#47044 Schlagwörter: , , ,