Book design

SOURCE: Vitruvius. De Architectura (Como, 1521), ed. Cesare Cesariano, title page NOTES: This 1521 edition of Cesare Cesariano's translation and commentary on Vitruvius's treatise entitled 'De Architectura' (Ten Books on Architecture) is the first edition of the treatise not in Latin. Vitruvius's original, unillustrated treatise was written during the first century BC. The woodcut illustrations in this edition, most probably drawn by Cesariano, are largely based on the cuts in the 1511 edition of Vitruvius edited by Giovanni Giocondo.

SOURCE: Leon Battista Alberti. De re aedificatoria (Paris, 1512), frontispiece NOTES: Alberti's original treatise was written in 1452. This 1512 edition was edited by Geofroy Tory.

SOURCE: Leon Battista Alberti. De re aedificatoria (Florence, 1485), p. 1 (left)

SOURCE: Leon Battista Alberti. De re aedificatoria (Florence, 1485), p. ai (right)

SOURCE: Sebastiano Serlio. Il Primo libro d'architettura (Di Architettura, book I) (Venice, 1551), title page NOTES: This 1551 publication formed the first collected edition of all five of Serlio's books on architecture, which had previously appeared as first editions between 1537 and 1547.

SOURCE: Sebastiano Serlio. Quinto libro d'architettura (Di Architettura, book V) (Venice, 1551), title page NOTES: This 1551 publication formed the first collected edition of all five of Serlio's books on architecture, which had previously appeared as first editions between 1537 and 1547.

SOURCE: Vicenzo Scamozzi. Discorsi sopra l'antichita di Roma, di Vicenzo Scamozzi (Venice, 1583), frontispiece NOTES: First published in 1581, this edition of the work is a later issue of the first edition sheets. The etchings are reprinted from an earlier suite of Roman views.

SOURCE: Vincenzo Scamozzi.The mirror of architecture: or The ground-rules of the art of building, exactly laid down by Vincent Scamozzi (London, 1676), frontispiece and title page NOTES: The first edition of Scamozzi's text appeared in 1615. This paraphrase of book six was prepared by William Fisher, based on Schuym's Dutch edition of 1662 and was first published in 1669.

SOURCE: Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington. Fabbriche antiche, disegnate da Andrea Palladio Vicentino; e date in luce da Riccardo Conte' di Burlington (London, 1730), frontispiece (left page) NOTES: This publication was produced by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork (1694-1753) and incorporated reproductions of Palladio's conjectural reconstruction drawings of Classical buildings. These original Palladio drawings were sourced from Burlington's own private collection. Dated 1730, it is likely the book was actually issued in 1735.

SOURCE: Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington. Fabbriche antiche, disegnate da Andrea Palladio Vicentino; e date in luce da Riccardo Conte' di Burlington (London, 1730), frontispiece (right page) NOTES: This publication was produced by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork (1694-1753) and incorporated reproductions of Palladio's conjectural reconstruction drawings of Classical buildings. These original Palladio drawings were sourced from Burlington's own private collection. Dated 1730, it is likely the book was actually issued in 1735.

SOURCE: William Pain. Pain's British Palladio: or, The builder's general assistant ... from the original designs of William and James Pain (London, 1786), frontispiece

SOURCE: William Halfpenny. Practical architecture, or a sure guide to the true working according to the rules of that science: representing the five orders... (London, 1724), frontispiece