LIMPERANI (Giovan Paolo). Istoria della Corsica... Lot 28

LIMPERANI (Giovan Paolo). Istoria della Corsica da' Tirreni suoi primi abitatori fin al secolo XVIII. In Roma, nella stamperia Salomoni, 1779-1780. 2 volumes in-4, (2 of which the second is blank)-ix-(1)-483-(1) + 598 [misfigured 1 to 472 and 471 to 596]-(2 of which the second is blank) pp, stiff parchment, smooth spines with gilt titles, marbled edges; one leaf stained in the first volume, light spotting to the last leaves of the same volume (period binding). RARE ORIGINAL EDITION, of which the second volume appeared posthumously. A CORSICAN PHYSICIAN AND NATURALIST, GIOVAN PAOLO LIMPERANI (1694-1779) spent his entire career in Rome. It was not until the end of his life that he published the present historiographical work: deploring the paucity of studies devoted to his native island, and reproaching Giovacchino Cambiagi (author of an Istoria del regno di Corsica, 1770-1772) for a compiler's approach that was too uncritical and too close to Anton-Pietro Filippini's Istoria di Corsica (1594), he tried for his part to show a critical spirit towards ancient sources. Provenance: A contemporary hand has inscribed references to the text in pen on the endpapers. - Xavier Versini (double bookplate, i.e. his signature on p. 11 and initials on p. 26 of both volumes).