1584 Scarce Vellum Book – Petrarch's On the Remedies of Fortune (De Remediis)

Author: Francesco Petrarca.
Title: Francisci Petrarchae Poetae Oratorisque Clarissimi De Remediis Utriusque Fortunae Libri II.
Publisher: Lugduni (Lyon), Apud Carolum Pesnot, 1584.
Language: Text in Latin.
Size: 5 x 3.5 inches.
Pages: 884 pages + index.
Binding: Very good contemporary limp vellum binding, yapp edges, hand-lettered title (faded) to spine. The binding is solid and well-preserved for its age, with typical warping, light stains (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Good to very good content (bright, tight, light foxing and staining - as shown, minor old waterstaining to some margins - as shown, early ownership inscriptions on front endpapers, including "Hic liber est Camillide Camitorus" in a lovely early hand - as shown).
Illustrations: Decorative woodcut printer’s device of a dragon in flames on the title page. Some engraved initials and typographic ornaments throughout.

Estimate: (USD 400–600).

The book: A rare and appealing late 16th-century Lyon edition of Petrarch’s De Remediis Utriusque Fortunae (“On the Remedies of Both Kinds of Fortune”), a profound philosophical dialogue composed between allegorical figures such as Reason and Joy, Reason and Sorrow, Reason and Hope, etc. This major humanist work stands at the crossroads of medieval scholasticism and Renaissance moral philosophy, deeply influencing writers across Europe. The 1584 Pesnot edition is notable for its compact format, making it a true pocket companion for the thoughtful reader of the era.

The author: Francesco Petrarca (1304–1374), known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet, and one of the earliest humanists. Often called the "Father of Humanism," Petrarch helped spark the Renaissance through his revival of classical Latin texts and his introspective, lyrical writings. His De Remediis was a widely read philosophical treatise across Europe from the late Middle Ages through the Enlightenment.

The printer: Carolus Pesnot (active ca. 1570s–1590s) was a Lyon-based printer and bookseller known for producing elegant and portable editions of classical and humanist works. His editions are admired today for their clarity, compact design, and attention to typographic balance.