Mandeville, Jean de (fl. circa 1350-1370)
Itinerarius [Italian] Tractato delle Piu Maravegliose Cosse.

Bologna: Ugo Rugerius, 1488.

Quarto, a-i8, k10 (lacking ten leaves: a1, a8, b1, b8, g1, g8, i4, i8, k1, k10), 72 of 82 leaves, missing leaves supplied in photocopy facsimile; modern reproduction bookplate of the famous 1459 portrait of Mandeville pasted inside front board; limp parchment binding, contents generally good, 8 1/4 x 5 3/4 in.

C 3835; IGI 6100; IJL2 263; Pr 6569; BMC VI 808; GW M20440.

A travel narrative whose narrator may not have lived, nor traveled as widely as described in the book, the Itinerarius held great influence throughout the Medieval and early modern periods. Our author claims to hail from England, and to have made journeys through Turkey, Persia, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia, India, and perhaps beyond. A mix of authentic-sounding accounts and inventive fiction, it remains an intriguing curiosity today.