Descrittione [...], di tutti i Paesi Bassi, altrimenti detti Germania Inferiore. Con tutte le carte di Geografia del paese, et col ritratto al naturale di molte terre principali; Riveduta di nuovo, et ampliata per tutto la terza volta dal medesimo autore [...] Con amplissimo Indice di tutte le cose più memorabilia

Folio (339x219 mm). [24], 432, [20] pp. The last leaf is a blank. Collation: *-**6 A-F6 G4 H2 I-Z6 a-p6 q4. With allegorical frontispiece symbolizing Belgium, title within an architectural border and, on the verso, the arms of the Netherlands surrounded by the arms of the various Dutch states, portrait of King Philip of Spain in an architectural border and the arms of Lodovico Guicciardini on the verso in the text; also with 78 numbered engraved plates with views of towns and maps, of which 63 are double-page, 7 full-page and 8 half-page. Roman, Greek and italic types. Woodcut headpieces and initials. Contemporary or slightly later stiff vellum, inked title along the spine (spine partly restored, endleaves renewed). Some light browning and foxing throughout (stronger in places), overall a genuine copy with good margins.
 
Third italian edition (the second printed by Plantin after the revised edition of 1581, whereas the first was printed at Antwerp by Willem Sylvius in 1567) with a new note to the reader by Guicciardini dated November 20, 1587. It is very likely that the author re-read the Italian text before its printing, since he received from Platin an advance-sum of fifty florins, whilst he would also receive an unspecified number of copies. In March 1587 Platin obtained the privilege from the Antwerp Privy Council. The members of the Council had read the text with great attention and had made a number of additions or changes where they thought Guicciardini had been misinformed. The complete edition was taken by the Italian merchant Paolo Franceschi, who accepted to pay 2520 florins for 400 copies, thus Plantin quickly obtained the cash-money he needed so badly.
Guicciardini's Description of the Whole Netherlands, was the first detailed description of the principalities and cities of the Low Countries, assured him instant fame, was translated into Dutch, French, English, Spanish, German and Latin, and had over forty editions until the end of the seventeenth century. The volume is still one of the most valuable sources of information for the description of the region or the cities, the etymology of their names and the origin of the foundations, the positions and fortification of the cities and the descriptions of streets and buildings, of political institutions or festivals, of the customs of the people and their religious beliefs, the general economic conditions and the actual trade and commerce, the educational institutions and the famous citizens. Important are also the many references to notable Netherlandish artists. Guicciardini stated that he was assisted in his work by the artists Lucas de Heere and Dominicus Lampsonius of Bruges. He also took certain passages directly from the first edition of Vasari's Vite (1550): for example, Vasari's assertion that Jan van Eyck discovered the technique of oil painting and that there was a very beautiful painting by ‘Ugo d'Anversa' in Santa Maria Nuova in Florence, which is taken to refer to the Portinari Altarpiece by Hugo van der Goes. Vasari in turn appears to have employed Guicciardini's account, since in the second edition of his Vite (1568) he included Hubert van Eyck, Jan's brother (cf. J.M. Maldague, La part de Guicciardini dans la literature artistique de son temps, in: “Lodovico Guicciardini. Actes du Colloque international des 28, 29 et 30 mars 1990”, P. Jodogne, ed., Louvain, 1991, pp. 321-335).
Whereas the first editions had mainly been provided with woodcuts, the greatest number of which concerned the Southern Netherlands, the beautifully engraved views and maps were first used in the Plantin edition of 1581. This edition contained 55 engravings, 23 more plates were added to Plantin's French edition of 1582, which were reprinted with slight variants in the present edition, e.g. Antwerp's capitulation in 1585 led to the rebuilding of the ramparts of the citadel in the south side: their outlines have been etched in on the plate and the date was changed into 158