Rare 16th-century Latin edition of the first printed cookbook to be published on a mass scale.

Written in c. 1465 by Bartolomeo Sacchi, known as il Platina after his birthplace of Piadena, the work first appeared in print between 1470 and 1475 in Rome, and in 1475 in Venice. Published in Latin, it was largely a translation of recipes by his contemporary and the highly regarded Renaissance chef Maestro Martino da Como from his Libro de Arte Coquinaria (c. 1465). Martino's recipes were influenced by various culinary traditions present in 15th-century Italy, including Jewish, Middle-Eastern and Islamic recipes.

Several versions were distributed during the Renaissance both in the original Latin and in numerous European vernaculars. It was originally intended to inform the choices of cooks in the houses of the elite but translations into the vernacular did all the work to reach those in the middle class who were looking to inform themselves on the cuisine of the time. Platina presented cooking as an aesthetical experience and a mode of not only providing sustenance but also enjoyment to the consumer.

8vo; woodcut printer's device to title, decorative woodcut initials opening each book, 2-line initials elsewhere, early annotations in ink throughout, some dampstaining throughout, edges trimmed costing some annotations but not affecting text; later limp vellum, slightly worn and soiled, some warping to covers, red speckled edges; collation: A8 a-q8 r3; [16] 232 [32] pp.

USTC 615103; Adams, P1411.