DISCORSI DEL SIGNOR TORQUATO TASSO. DELL'ARTE POETICA; ET IN PARTICOLARE DEL POEMA HEROICO. Venice: Ad instanza di Giulio Vassalini Libraro à Ferrara, 1587. Half bound over patterned paper boards, label with gilt on spine. 4to; +4 A-2D4; ff. [4], 108. Roman and italic type; text in Italian. With printer's device on title page, woodblock initials, head-pieces, and ornaments. EDIT16 41069; USTC 858376. (Boards lightly scuffed with minor edgewear, leather corners missing, light wear to label; lacking endpaper, paste-down with small loss and with bookplate, some cracking and separation at front hinge, occasional additional cracking at hinge, slight separation from textblock with binding still very sturdy; title page with repair to "R," several small stains, light grime, 19th-century manuscript; pages lightly toned, with occasional small stain, light grime, and foxing, several pages with faint damp staining at outer margin or one corner, most pages extremely crisp and clean considering age; overall a very good copy.

lot also includes:

DELLE RIME, ET PROSE DEL SIG. TORQUATO TASSO. PARTE PRIMA. Ferrara: Appresso Simon Vasalini, 1585. Blind tooled and paneled parchment, yapp binding, manuscript on spine. 12mo; +12 A-X12 Y10. Italic type; text in Italian. With woodcut printer's device on title page, woodcut ornaments, head-pieces, and initials. (A fair copy with typical light discoloration, textblock nearly completely detached, split at joint, small chip, tear, and separation at head, small tear in yapp edge, lacking ties; wear, loss, and manuscript at endpapers; pages lightly toned with occasional small stain, tear, and light grime, several pages with minor strip of damp staining; generally clean and unmarked.)

LETTERE DEL SIGNOR TORQUATO TASSO NON PIÙ STAMPATE. Bologna: Presso Bartolomeo Cochi, 1616. Limp parchment, title manuscript on spine and tail edge. 4to; a-b4 A-3O4; [16], 480. USTC 4023199. (Slight discoloration and staining to vellum, later manuscript on cover and spine, remains of a sticker on the spine, several wormholes mostly at spine and joints, tears to vellum at tail, closed tears at head, loss and fraying to upper right portion of upper board; 19th-century manuscript and minimal insect damage on endpapers; significant cracking at hinge with partial separation of textblock; title page with wormholes, staining, and small margin loss; pages toned with foxing, occasional stain, light grime, wormhole, or small margin loss not impacting text; damp staining at last several gatherings, 3O4 with fraying, small losses and a small repair; lacking endpapers.)

Largest 8 1/4 x 6 in.

From the Collection of Professor Roberto Severino, Washington, D.C.

Torquato Tasso (1544-1595) was an Italian poet who followed in the footsteps of his father, the poet Bernardo Tasso. He is most famous for his epic poem from 1581, La Gerusalemme Liberata, or Jerusalem Delivered.