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Valencia, Francisco Diaz Romano, 1531. 4to (205 x 145 mm). Exquisitely bound in a sumptuous richly blind-ornamented and gilt 20th century full calf binding. Five raised bands, gilt lettering, and smaller gilt decorations to richly blindstamped spine. Boards elaborately blindstamped with frames in different patterns and with smaller dispersed gilt ornamentations. Front board with a large centre-piece, also elaborately blindstamed and with gilt ornamentations, at the center of which the words ?Libre de Consells de Jaume Roig? in gilt Gothic lettering. Back board with the same large centre-piece repeated, inside which a gilt centre-illustration (reminiscent of Bacchus) and the words ?a bon seny no hi valengan? (Old Catalan for ?common sense is not worth it?) in gilt lettering underneath. Binding signed Miquerlius to lower inside of front board. Single gilt line to edges of boards and broad inner gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. Leaf A4 with ink-annotations in contemporary hand. First leaves with marginal repairs and a closed wormtract, with loss of a few letters. Leaves L-O with closed wormtract in upper outer margin. Last leaves with marginal repairs and final leaf (woodcut illustration) with closed tear and a few wormholes, with minor loss of the illustration. With occasional brownspotting and a few leaves evenly browned. Washed. 139, (1) pp. (A-R8, S4) The exceedingly rare first edition of Roig?s magnum opus, his seminal masterpiece of Catalan literature. This satirical work on women offering extensive advice on avoiding their alleged deceptive nature, the pitfalls of marriage, including all the misadventures Roig himself has suffered during four marriages is widely considered one of the most significant pieces of literature in Catalan. The first edition is of the utmost scarcity and hardly ever finds its way into the trade. Salva (author of ?Catalogue of Spanish and Portuguese Books with occasional literary and bibliographical remarks?) only knew of two complete copies, and as early as 1735, the book was already so unprocurable that the editor of an attempted reprint had to omit some parts for lack of an early copy. Salva?s own copy is now housed in the British Library, who states: ?Scarcely any Spanish book is more rare than this first edition of Roig, of which Carlos Ros, who edited the works of Roig in 1735, was unable to find any copy whatever. It was unknown to Nic. Antonio who quotes the second edition of 1532 as if it was the first? It was written in 1459-60 and has only survived in one manuscript (MS. Vat. Lat. 4806). During the sixteenth century, however, several editions of Roig?s text were published, although with a modified title: Llibre de consells (Valencia, 1531 and 1532" Barcelona, 1561) and Llibre de les dones me sverament dit de consells (Valencia, 1561)" in recent years, it is often seen referred to as ?The Espill? or "The Mirror". While the 15th century saw the emergence of other renowned literary works in Catalan, such as Tirant lo Blanc by Joanot Martorell and the anonymously written Curial e Güelfa, the present work distinguishes itself through its distinctive fusion of realism, social critique, sharp satire and, to some extent, medical knowledge. This combination makes it a remarkable portrayal of the evolving socioeconomic dynamics and cultural attitudes of Valencian society at the time: ?(The present work) is mere fiction, but it is full of autobiographical elements and, despite the deformations imposed by the literary genre, it especially offers a very realistic picture of Valencian society in the 15th century and specifically of the city of Valencia. Roig describes very precise aspects of the trades and customs of the era and evokes real events which he knew about first-hand. He also furnishes priceless details on the knowledge and profession of medicine. In any event, as Antònia Carré accurately states, ?the satirical deformations and comical inversions of Espill should be understood within the con.
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