New York: Alfred A. Knoff, 1957. Item #1109

8vo.  235 x 150 mm., [9 1/4 x 6 inches].  22, 415, vii, [i] pp.  Illustrated with a color printed frontispiece, 3 color plates, and 24 black and white illustrations in the text.  Bound in publisher's black cloth, title in gilt on upper board and spine, dust jacket; jacket with minor chipping at edges and head and tail of spine; book plate of Gene Burdett.

First American edition of Iris Origo's masterpiece of research and writing, excavating for a diverse reading public from original sources, the life and times of a cloth merchant in Prato during the 14th century.  Much more than a simple biography, Origo brings to life the cities of Prato and Florence and the business and governments that were evolving during the early years of the Italian Renaissance.  A standard work.

Price: $100.00