Decamerone: nuovamente corretto et con diligentia stampato.

Florence [Venice]: Heirs of Filippo Giunta [Pasinelli, Orlandelli and Smith],, 1527 [1729].. A deceptive Decameron First edition thus, one of 300 copies, of the most famous historic facsimile of Giunta's 1527 edition of the Decameron, the celebrated "Ventisettana", one of the best and scarcest early editions of Boccaccio's masterpiece. This uncommon book is noted as a finely produced and particularly deceptive replica, which contains numerous corrections to the original text. This facsimile was produced in Venice by Angelo Pasinelli under the supervision of Stefano Orlandelli, at the expense of Joseph Smith (1682-1770), British consul at Venice, distinguished collector, and art patron (notably of Canaletto). The type used was cast to imitate Giunta's original characters, which had been recently rediscovered in the basement of a convent. An extremely accurate facsimile, it can be distinguished from the original "Ventisettana" on the basis of a few details: the letter "a" is rounded instead of pointy at the top; the type (which appears rather worn in the original) is here new; the printer's device on the title and final pages is of the same dimension, but larger on the title page of the original; there are a number of errors in the pagination. Most bibliographies indicate a print run of 300 copies, with one additional copy on vellum printed for Smith (see Brunet, Gamba, and Graesse); Bacchi della Lega gives a different number of "30 copies" (although this is quite possibly a typographical error). In his Life of Boccaccio (1806), Baldelli Boni notes that this facsimile "became even more scarce" (p. 311) after a fire in the publisher's warehouse destroyed numerous copies. Large quarto (238 x 162 mm). Eighteenth-century attractively mottled sheep, spine with raised bands, elaborate floral decoration in compartments, red and green morocco labels, gilt decoration to board edges, red and green floral patterned endpapers, edges red, red silk bookmarker. Contemporary Italian manuscript note to verso of front free endpaper concerning the rarity and value of this edition compared to Giunta's original. Extremities rubbed with occasional spots of wear, one corner sometime repaired, covers a little scuffed, tiny wormhole at head of spine, a little loss of leather at foot, sporadic and mainly marginal marks to contents, but generally fresh and clean throughout. A very good copy, attractively bound. Bacchi della Lega, Serie delle edizioni delle opere di Giovanni Boccacci, 1875, p. 36; Brunet 998-9; Dibdin, The Bibliographical Decameron, p. 270; Gamba 172; Graesse, p. 449. Giovanni Battista Baldelli Boni, Vita di Giovanni Boccacci, 1806.