ARIOSTE. Orlando furioso. Venice, Francesco de Franceschi, 1584. 3 parts in one volume in-4, red morocco, triple gilt fillet, spine decorated in the grotesque style, inner lace, gilt edges (18th century binding). First printing of this magnificent edition by Ruscelli. "It is sought after because of the notes that accompany it and the engravings with which it is decorated," writes Brunet. Mortimer described it as "the most elaborate of the 16th century editions" of Ariosto's epic poem. The illustration includes 3 engraved titles (a general title-frontispiece and two intermediate titles for I Cinque canti and the Osservationi de Lavezuola), as well as 51 full-page copper-engraved plates by Girolamo Porro in collaboration with Giacomo Franco and Bernardo Castello. The extremely rare plate xxxiv having been removed by the Inquisition in almost all copies, plate xxxiii has been repeated in its place. A very fine copy, luxuriously bound for the Count de Sabran, with his bookplate engraved by Humbelot inserted full-page at the head of the volume. From the Roger Paultre library (1993, no. 11), with bookplate. Missing 6 ff. of the Osservationi de Lavezuola (a1-a3, k4, l1, l4); title-frontispiece doubled, foxing, a few stained leaves and small accidents to the last seven leaves. Brunet, I, 436 - Adams, A-1677 - Mortimer, n°30.