De le lettere [...]. Con una breva dichiarazione [...] di tutto l'ordin [sic] de l'ortografia [...].

4to : 234 [= 232]-[6] ff. (occ. spotting and foxing).

Contemp. vellum, flat spine and bottom edge titled with ink (sl. bumped, lower spine repaired).

First edition of these letters addressed to famous personalities (Annibal Caro, the physician Guido Guidi, Paolo Manuzio, Pietro Aretino, Francesco Guicciardini...). In a letter (f. 81), Tolomei outlines the activity and the aims of the Roman Accademia della Virtù (originally established to implement the transposing of literary forms, grammar and vocabulary from classical Latin to modern Italian but after 1539 turned to a study of Vitruvius' treatise) which may have had an impact on the establishing of the methodology and the rigor of later architectural theoreticians. Among other letters, Tolomei describes his project of a large city on the Monte Argentario promontory and mentions the drawings by Perin del Vaga and Michelangelo for the "Cassetta Farnese". Printed in italic letters conforming to Tolomei' s (1492-1556) theories of phonetic spelling, which was abandoned in later editions. Illustrated with a large and beautiful printer's device on the title, a simpler one at the end, a small woodcut map in the text (f. 153, Monte Argentario) and numerous picturesque initials (various kinds of games, musicians, fights, a devil and a woman...).
Ref. Edit16 26071. - Adams T-784. - Mortimer, Italian, 500. - Cicognara 1214. - STC Italy (BL) 674.