Istruzione Teorico-Pratica sul Modo di Fare il Vino e Conservarlo. Opera divisa in Quattro parti e corredata di 33 incisioni in legno. Prima edizione.
Firenze: Tipografia Barbèra, Bianchi e C., 1857. Item #1440 8vo. 175 x 115 mm., [7 x 4 ½ inches]. xx, 271 pp. Illustrated with 33 wood engravings in the text. Bound in contemporary leather backed marble paper boards; small worm hold on the spine of the lower board. Stamped ownership mark of Clemente Mensio on half-title. First edition, followed by another 7 editions between the years 1860 and 1880; an essential work. Francesco De Blasiis (1807-1873) was a noted agriculturalists and author who dedicated his working life to the improvement of farming techniques and of the living condition of the Italian people. He dedicated this volume to his “sweet homeland,” with the hope of “improving one of the noblest products of her fertile breast.” His book is organized in four parts: the first documenting the various theories associated with the cultivation of wine and the manufacturing process. Part two is a description of the proper tools, equipment and machinery that are essential for the efficient harvesting, storing and transporting of wine. Part three describes methods for bottling, corking, and preserving wines and part four describes those qualities which make for a distinguished vintage, including taste, color, and aroma. The book is illustrated with 33 wood engravings, which complement the text and offer visual clues for the wine maker and their staff.
Vittorio Niccoli. Saggio Storico e Bibliografico dell’Agricultura Italiana, p. 479 with the date 1856. Maria Paleari Henssler. Bibliografia Latino-Italiana di Gastronomia, I. pp. 240, II. p. 485. Carlo Preto. Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, V. 32, (1986).
Price: $800.00