Anatole France's "Itinerario" of the Holy Land

Aveiro, Pantaleão de. Itinerario da terra sancta, e todas suas particularidades [...]. Agora novamente acrecentado, con mais declaracones dos lugares da terra sancta, & authoridades da sagrada escriptura, & outras curiosidades de notar.

€ 7,500.00

Rare third edition of this popular travelogue of a Portuguese Franciscan's journey to the Holy Land in the years 1562-64, containing invaluable commentary on the Portuguese Jewish diaspora. This copy is inscribed to Anatole France (1844-1924) by José Feliciano, an enthusiastic reader of France's first novel: "Souvenir ému d'un lecteur ignoré et très modeste du Crime de Sylvestre Bonnard" (dated Sao Paulo, 7 July 1909). Later in the collection of the Portuguese architect José Maria Nepomuceno (1836-95) with his ownership to pastedown.

First published in 1593, this popular work saw six editions up to 1732 and was reissued as late as 1927. In 94 chapters, Aveiro describes the successive stages of his journey from embarking at Venice to his return to the Christian territories of Southern Italy. Within this framework he describes his itinerary, giving Jewish-related reports of Corfu, Paphos, Nicosia, Venice, Alexandria, Tripoli, Aleppo, Beirut, Damascus and Sidon, with stops at mythological sites such as the labyrinth of the Minotaur, and of course in Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Further, he reflects on the then quite recent eviction of the Observant Franciscans from Mount Sion in 1551, for which he blames a Jewish conspiracy. Referring to the confirmation of Franciscan possessions in the Holy Land by Pope Martin V in 1421, Aveiro points out that "apostolic authority had confirmed their rights at the Holy Sepulchre, Mount Sion, Bethlehem and other places, as did privileges granted by the Ottomans, as well as the backing and support of many Christian monarchs. These passages already place the same emphasis on Franciscan rights and possessions being endangered, and express the same concern with hightlighting rights granted in the past as would later Franciscan texts" (Ritsema van Eck).

Occasional slight worming and small tears, rarely causing text loss. A good copy with exceptional provenance. Very rare: OCLC lists only two copies (in the Biblioteca Nacional de España and the Biblioteca Nacional de México).