De Moribus ac ritibus gentium libri III. Nunc primum in lucem editi. Quod opus quanta rerum varietate refertum, quamq ; omnibus ingeniis utile ac necessarium sit, sequens elenchus, & auctoris proœmium indicabunt.[Of the Manners and Rites of Nations, Book III. First edition. The following index and the author's preface will demonstrate the great variety of subjects contained in this work, as well as its usefulness and necessity for all minds.]
First edition by a forgotten Ferrarese polygraph and historian, whose work — presented here — nevertheless enjoyed considerable success upon publication and was followed by two subsequent editions in 1577 and 1599. According to Marc Adam Kolakowski, Alessandro Sardi, together with Johannes Boemus, pioneered the use of "antiquarian and ethnographic perspectives" in the study of ancient religions.
Fine historiated initials depicting various Greco-Roman deities.
Later full parchment binding with turn-ins, smooth spine with title in brown ink and two annotations, likely from a library classification system, also in brown ink, original ties present. Ink ownership inscription on title page reading: "Louis Joséphi Civitatis Novae".
Minor holes to boards, slightly warped, marginal stain to upper board, minor wormholes to pastedowns, marginal dampstaining to pp. 17-63, 79-113, and 225-255. Overall a fine copy.
Several lines underlined in brown ink on pp. 6, 13, 43, 242, 252, 254, 255, 256, 260, 261, 262, and some corrections, also in brown ink, on pp. 38, 39, and 241. In both cases, probably in the same hand as the ownership inscription.