Author: RIVA DI SAN NAZARRO, Gianfrancesco.
Title: Iura interpretantis in flore[n]ti achademia Avenionensi ad cives Avenionenses de peste libri tres.[Colophon:] Avignon, Jean de Channey, 12 September 1522. 4to. With the title in a 4-piece woodcut border (white on black); a woodcut illustration of the author presenting a book to the dedicatee on the verso of the title-page; the dedication on A2v in a 4-piece woodcut border and the coat-of-arms of the dedicatee François Guillaume de Castelnau de Clermont-Lodève (1480-1540), who was a cardinal in Avignon; the opening of the preface(?) on D3v with a woodcut border (the same as A2v) and the coat-of-arms of the city of Avignon; the woodcut device of Jean de Channey on page x2v, similar to Aldus's device: an anchor with a dolphin and the printer's name ("IEHAN DE CHANNEY"). With numerous woodcut decorated initials (at least 3 series) throughout the text. Later overlapping vellum, title blind-tooled (but faded) on the spine, with remnants of ties and red and yellow/beige headbands.
Description: [28], CLXII, [1] ll.First edition of Gianfrancesco Riva or Ripa's famous authoritative work on the plague in early modern Europe, printed in 1522 by the famous Avignon printer Jean de Channey (fl. 1505-1540). Since the Middle Ages and continuing through the 16th century and beyond, the plague - also known as the Black Death - was a frequent occurence across Europe and especially a big threat to citizens of relatively large cities like Avignon. Some years it became pandemic, including the case between 1518 and 1531, thus warranting the publication of the present treatise. It is considered to be the first legal treatise concerning the plague and is renowned for covering multiple relevant subjects from establishing the general definition, symptoms and causes of the illness, to law and order in plague-ridden cities, ensuring the cleanliness and safety of air and (drinking-) water, drawing up and dealing with wills of plague victims, and even covering all sorts of medication. It shows the incredible impact the plague had on all imaginable social and economic aspects of early modern city life. The author, Gianfrancesco Riva (1480?-1535), was a jurist and professor in Avignon and Pavia.Annotated throughout by a contemporary hand in light brown ink and with an owner's inscription in a different hand in darker brown ink on page A2r. The binding is somewhat soiled, the lower outside corner of leaf k2 is damaged, without affecting the text. Some minor browning and staining to the first and last few leaves, otherwise internally clean. Overall in good condition.l BMC STC French 1470-1600, p. 377; Desgenettes, Nicolas René Dufriche, Notice sur un livre fort rare de saint-nazaire de ripa, publié en 1522, sur la Peste (12 pp.) in: Mélanges de Médecine (Paris, C.L.F. Panckoucke, 1827); USTC 110507 (10 copies); WorldCat 632810563, 758703666, 892149572 (10 copies); not in Adams.

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