Merda est salus hominis
Italy: n.p., n.d. 8vo. 46 pp. Ruled manuscript notebook with engraved frontispiece. Preface and discourse in two parts. Contemporary black roan, and preserved in a black roan-backed box. The text is very clean. A handsome copy. With the bookplate of Roberto Gabbani engraved by Costante Costantini. Item #16356
A discourse in the form of a mock-address to an educated and learned public of women. The author is inspired to write this praise after he had accidentally stepped onto a pile of excrement. He addresses the ladies and in the first part theorizes the ancient and noble origins of defecation, from the beginning of time with Adam and Eve. The object of his ode is universal and unites all peoples of the world. The second part is devoted to the usefulness and benefits of excrement: it’s healthy, nourishes the trees and the soil, and provides work to those that transport it from cities to villages. The author ends his tribute talking to ### directly, inviting her/him not to blame humans that don’t appreciate her/him.
Costantini (Florence, 1921-2006) was an Italian engraver, illustrator and writer. His talent for drawing was sharpened by his studies and by trips abroad in his youth. In Vienna he became a friend of Kokoshka’s, and in Paris he followed courses at the Grande Chaumière Academy. He is noted for his elegant woodcuts and his intaglio prints made from punched metal plates. He was awarded several prizes in both fields.
Price: $4,500.00