This is the third edition of my bibliography. If I am not wrong, no bibliography
has had more than two editions: I do not know if I should be sorry for this useless
record. In any event, the reason of this inexhaustible production is due to the
fact that I keep finding new books and to my (unrealistic) desire to cover the entire
panorama of astrological books. This issue will not be printed: I need to have the
possibility to amend and improve the descriptions of the books and add new editions.
Only a file on the Internet allows this. It will be a work in progress, as a bibliography
should be.
If compared with the second (printed) edition, in this one:
- there are approximately 1200 new entries;
- many records have been amended after having checked directly the works;
- the previous numeration has been maintained, except for about ten cases;
- there is an index of the authors (it is new);
- there is an index of the works regarding the relationship between astrology and pestis;
- there is an index of the works regarding the relationship between astrology and earthquakes;
- the previous indexes have been updated and the one regarding the printers has been
extended to the year 1800;
- the bibliographical references have been increased;
- a black star on the left side shows the books that I have directly seen and read;
- the locations of the books in the online public libraries have been increased, mostly
for the incunables and the plaquettes;
- the links between authors, books and contents have been enhanced;
- most of the records have extensive commentaries.
The ratio is the same of the two previous editions: I have continued to record books
dealing exclusively with astrology as well as books in which astrology is barely
mentioned within a different context (politics, economics, medicine, history, literature,
etc.). Among several examples of this second kind of books the
works of the famous Italian economist Pietro Verri (description no. 8373 bis), of
the physician Pierre Vignes (description no. 8403) and of the diplomatic Giulio
Cesare Capaccio (description no. 1384) can be mentioned. From the 15th to the 17th century, astrology represented a sort of backbone of human thoughts and was therefore included in books
dealing with the most varied subjects.
Along the way, my work has had a genetic mutation. When I wrote the first edition,
it was a slightly commented bibliography. When I wrote the second, it had become
something else: an analytical bibliography. After having read a huge number of the
books that I had listed in these editions, I have written the third with a new spirit.
My work is now a patchwork of an astrology chronicle throughout six centuries and
across the world.
Now, a few words about the bibliographical criteria that I have used and some other
words about astrology in itself.
I am aware that I am not a true bibliographer.
My dear friend professor Giancarlo Petrella told it to me repeatedly, and he tried
to teach me the correct rules of that science, but his efforts were rather useless.
After three editions, I remain a lawyer keen on astrology - below, I will disclose
in a nutshell my own opinion about it - and a collector of old books of this purview.
At any rate, the descriptions of all of the books that I have phisically or digitally
read are in my opinion complete with foliation (for books issued up to the end of
XVIII century), pagination, height (in centimetres), folded or not folded leaves
out of foliation, and illustrations.
Each of these books is commented, and profusely
commented when in my opinion it deserved a particular attention. Besides, I have
showed in every item which edition was the one specifically described and, below,
the others editions, if any.
As per the books that I could not see and read (i.e. the ones without the black
star on the left), my sources have been the intersected descriptions of the public
libraries and of the references (see the list below).
At the bottom of every description I have listed the online public libraries that
own copies of the book: the lists are regularly updated, but everyone knows that
the libraries' panorama is monthly changing. In any event, I believe that the count
of the libraries owning a book is a reliable indicator of its actual rarity (chiefly
for the books issued until the end of XVII century). The names of the online public
libraries are fully written, as I believe that abbreviations are stuff for teenagers
and for a deprecable business language.
Finally, my personal opinion about astrology.
Sometimes it seems to work in an astonishing way; sometimes it is entirely fallacious.
No final opinion, therefore. Astrology is neither a science nor an art. However,
having handled it for more than half a century, I can say that I have greatly enjoyed
it, and still I do.
Unfortunately, I have had the idea of writing in English the commentaries
on the content of the books when it was too late. A translation from Italian would
be like the thirteenth labour of Hercules and I am not Hercules. Therefore, this
is the only English text in my work. I apologise for this. Apart from the commentaries,
I think however that the descriptions of the books (i.e. foliations, paginations,
illustrations) are understandable also for those who do not speak Italian.