1681 Rare Italian Book – Il Valore della Limosina, Almsgiving Value by M.Tarallo

Author: Michele Tarallo
Title: Il Valore della Limosina, Bilanciato. Con Sentenze, et Esempii più celebri. Et il Suffragio quotidiano per l’Anime del Purgatorio. L’Arte industriosa per ben morire, ed altre Divotioni, & Esercitij Spirituali. Raccolti per Michele Tarallo.
Publisher: In Napoli, Per Francesco Benzi, 1681. First thus.
Language: Text in Italian.
Size: 6 x 3.5 inches.
Pages: 161 pages; complete with engraved illustration.
Binding: Very good contemporary limp vellum binding (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content (tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown, some expected age-toning - as shown).
Illustrations: Complete with the engraved plate depicting an angel guiding a soul away from Hell.

Estimate: (USD 300 - USD 400).

The Book: This scarce 17th-century devotional manual, printed in Naples in 1681, offers a deeply Catholic meditation on almsgiving, charity, death, purgatory, and spiritual exercises. Compiled by Michele Tarallo, the work draws upon the authority of the Church Fathers, Scripture, and devotional exempla to underscore the salvific value of charity (limosina) and prayer. Structured to provide guidance for daily religious practice, it includes sections on the suffrage of souls in purgatory, instructions for preparing for a holy death (ben morire), and other spiritual devotions.

A particularly striking feature is the engraved illustration depicting an angel guiding a soul heavenward, away from the torments of Hell—a vivid visual reminder of salvation through divine mercy and good works. Sections such as L’ultima Volontà dell’Anima (The Last Will of the Soul) frame the book as a spiritual testament for the faithful, while Li sette stati dell’Anime del Purgatorio provides a day-by-day devotional structure to assist souls in purgatory.

Printed by Francesco Benzi in Naples, the work reflects the strong Counter-Reformation devotional culture of late 17th-century Italy, emphasizing acts of mercy, penitence, and pious intercession for the dead.

The Author:  Michele Tarallo, an Italian ecclesiastic and devotional writer, compiled this manual as a practical spiritual guide rooted in Catholic orthodoxy. His works were aimed at lay readers, offering simple yet powerful tools for cultivating a life of devotion, charity, and preparation for eternity.