FILELFO, FRANCESCO. Satyrae. [149] (of [150]) leaves; lacking the final blank. Roman type. Folio, 264x193 mm, 19th-century blind-tooled calf over bevelled wooden boards in 16th-century style, joints worn, raised bands and cover corners rubbed; minor worming in blank margins through approximately the first 40 and last 35 leaves, title dusty, contents otherwise quite clean. Booklabels of Adriana R. Salem and Helmut N. Friedlaender. (Milan: Christophorus Valdarfer, 13 November 1476)
first edition of a collection of vituperative satires aimed primarily at the court of Cosimo de' Medici, an early instance of the publication of a secular literary work by a living author. One of the leading Greek scholars of his time, Filelfo (1398-1481) studied for several years in Constantinople before returning to Italy to teach at various universities, and spent the latter half of his career in the service of the court of Milan. The Satyrae derive from his falling out with the Medici regime during his years in Florence, from where he was expelled in 1434. BMC VI, 726-27; Goff P615.
