CORNAZANO, Antonio

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A distinctive, naif and unusual binding probably produced near Ortona, Abruzzo, around the time the book was printed. This is appears to be one of very few copies still in a contem porary binding. The binding tools are crude and the style simple when compared with the work of the great binding centres but it is rare to find such a charming, unsophisticated example of such provincial work. An excellent copy of the second Soncino edition of this important work on the art of war, quoted by Machiavelli. Less common than the first Pesaro edition of 1507 (Manzoni). This is one of only six works produced by the Jewish printer Gershom Soncino (d. c.1537) in Ortona, then governed by the Spanish viceroys, and one of the few in the vernacular. The dedication to Count Luigi del Montorio requested protection to settle his press in Naples. Jews were banned from the territories of the Kingdom of Naples Most probably, Gershom was granted leave to settle in Ortona for his professional printing skill and given his acquaintance with important Roman personalities (Campanini, 44). Antonio Cornazano (1430-c.1483) was a prolific author on subjects as varied as dance and proverbs. In blank verse c.1476, De re militaria was first published in 1493. Soncino s typographical layout reprised the cursive octavo of the Aldine enchiridion ; rated as a sophisticated edition, it was also more expensive than its similar counterparts (Nuovo, 70). Cornazano was the first to adapt in print Vegetius s 4th-century De re militari the only ancient work on Roman warfare to have survived intact which he adjusted to the changing needs of early modern military practice. His work discussed the ideal soldier (literacy, endurance, virtue), the importance of good horses (where they breed in Italy, their features, how to shoe them, how to treat their ailments), ancient and modern armour, dos and don ts in war (never destroy churches, never start wrong wars), the virtues of the good captain (in battle, after victory), spies, and the circulation of fake news to scare the enemy. Fascinating is the section on cryptography, as Cornazano provides recipes for inks (soaked fireflies, salarmoniaco, milk-based only visible if sprinkled with coal), techniques to read letters underwater or against the fire, and the use of images following the ancient Egyptian tradition. Rare. Only Newberry and UCLA copies recorded in the US. Show more