Apr 16, 2026 10:00 EST
Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
11
A Testina edition of Machiavelli's Opere
MACHIAVELLI, NICCOLÒ
Tutte le opere di Nicolo Machiavelli cittadino et secretario fiorentino... N.p (but ?Geneva): 1550 (but later, likely 1620 or later). Probable second Testina edition. Five parts in one volume, 19th-century three-quarters morocco, marbled sides, top edge gilt. 8 3/8 x 5 3/4 inches (22 x 15 cm); [4], 8, 351, [1] (Historie Fiorentine); [4], 116 pp. (Il Principe); 14, [2, blank], 304 pp. (Tito Livio); 168 pp. (Dell'arte della Guerra); 170 pp. (L'Asino d'oro). Scattered pale foxing, occasional very minor marginal worming. Charles Eliot Norton's copy, with his bookplate and pencil notes regarding a pair of Harvard accession and deaccession stamps in the volume (apparently, he made the mistake of leaving his book in the library and found when he returned that it had been accessioned in error); together with various other learned notes on the first blank.
The Testina ("little head") editions of Machiavelli are so named because of the engraving of the author's bust on the title; all use a false date, that of the original date of publication, as Machiavelli's Opere was placed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum in 1559. Bibliographically, these editions are difficult, as the order of the parts varies from copy to copy, as of course does the collation. In this example, the various sectional titles do not carry the woodcut portrait of Machiavelli, solely the general title.
Sold for $1,280
Estimated at $300 - $500
Includes Buyer's Premium
MACHIAVELLI, NICCOLÒ
Tutte le opere di Nicolo Machiavelli cittadino et secretario fiorentino... N.p (but ?Geneva): 1550 (but later, likely 1620 or later). Probable second Testina edition. Five parts in one volume, 19th-century three-quarters morocco, marbled sides, top edge gilt. 8 3/8 x 5 3/4 inches (22 x 15 cm); [4], 8, 351, [1] (Historie Fiorentine); [4], 116 pp. (Il Principe); 14, [2, blank], 304 pp. (Tito Livio); 168 pp. (Dell'arte della Guerra); 170 pp. (L'Asino d'oro). Scattered pale foxing, occasional very minor marginal worming. Charles Eliot Norton's copy, with his bookplate and pencil notes regarding a pair of Harvard accession and deaccession stamps in the volume (apparently, he made the mistake of leaving his book in the library and found when he returned that it had been accessioned in error); together with various other learned notes on the first blank.
The Testina ("little head") editions of Machiavelli are so named because of the engraving of the author's bust on the title; all use a false date, that of the original date of publication, as Machiavelli's Opere was placed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum in 1559. Bibliographically, these editions are difficult, as the order of the parts varies from copy to copy, as of course does the collation. In this example, the various sectional titles do not carry the woodcut portrait of Machiavelli, solely the general title.
Auction: Rare Books, Autographs & Maps, Apr 16, 2026
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Successful Auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on April 16, 2026 Surpasses Expectations
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Thomas Jefferson Letter Commenting on Toussaint Louverture Achieves $32,000
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Consignments Are Currently Being Accepted for Future Auctions
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We Invite You to Contact Us for Complimentary Auction Estimates of Your Collection
NEW YORK, NY – Doyle's auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on April 16, 2026 saw international competition drive strong results throughout the sale and a total that surpassed expectations.
Thomas Jefferson Letter on Toussaint Louverture
Highlighting the sale was a fascinating 1802 letter from Thomas Jefferson as president to Maryland Governor John Francis Mercer that achieved a strong $32,000. The remarkable letter captures a rare, candid moment in which Jefferson assesses, with striking clarity, the arrest of Toussaint Louverture, a leader of the Haitian Revolution, by French General Charles LeClerc, Napoleon’s brother-in-law. Jefferson perceptively warned that LeClerc’s actions would erode trust and likely spark further racial conflict—an insight that proved remarkably accurate. Beyond its sharp political foresight, the letter reflects the broader anxiety the Haitian Revolution provoked in the United States, which contributed to decades of diplomatic isolation of Haiti.
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Consignments are currently being accepted for future auctions. We invite you to contact us for complimentary auction estimates. Our Specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.
