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Francesco BECATTINI (1743-1813) 
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Storia politica, filosofica e naturale del regno di Svezia sino a tutto il secolo XVIII. E incoronazione del regnate Gustavo IV. Venezia, presso Antonio Zatta qu: Giacomo, 1802 8vo (200x120). I- VIII, 292 pp. (*1-4, A-R1-8, S1-10; II- 246 of 248 (recte 242 of 244, pp. 1-2 (blank?) missing, numbering jumps from 224 to 229), last leaf (blank?) missing (*1-4, A2-8 (A1 missing, possibly a blank), B-O1-8, P1-9) (P10 missing, possibly a blank). III- VIII, 284 pp. (*1-4, A-R1-8, S1-6). IV- VIII, 390 pp. (*1-4, A-V1-8, X1-5, (numbering, text and catchword continuous, X6 or X6-8 apparently eliminated by the printer), Y-Z1-8, Aa1-8, Bb1-6). 4 engraved frontispieces, 1 folding table, 2 large engraved folding maps, 2 large engraved folding plates. Publisher’s yellow wrappers, paper label with title on spines. sporadic unimportant foxing. Fine copy, uncut, vols. II-IV unopened.
Polygrapher, journalist and publicist of Florentine origin, Francesco Becattini is one of the most curious characters among the Italian publishers actives at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. With an extremely inconstant character, his entire work is characterized by a political volubility which, combined with the informative and didactic purposes of many of his works, is almost paradoxical. A very prolific biographer and historian, he cultivated anti-dyspotic ideals throughout his life - despising the work of the Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo d'Asburgo Lorena (1747-1792) - although openly condemning the French Revolution, and at the same time showing a sincere interest in figures such as Gustavo III (1746-1792), one of the greatest examples of enlightened despot. To the latter Becattini dedicated his Storia del regno e della vita di Gustavo III re di Svezia (Venezia, Antonio Zatta e figli, 1792-3), of which the present, political, philosophical and natural history constitutes a second, updated and enriched edition. In spite of the great success of most of his works and the vast circulation of them up to the late nineteenth century, Becattini is often disliked by recent historiography, for his partial readings, for the lack of critical analysis and for the impressive political opportunism, often hiding a certain social climber's careerism. Even so, the enormous amount of Becattini’s contributions contain considerable sources from the courtly environment, privileged witnesses for the reconstruction of political dynamics within the European courts of otherwise very complex interpretation. In addition, large-scale works on both political and artistic, historical and geographical topics, such as the Compendio universale di tutte le scienze e belle arti (Trieste, Wage, Fleis, e Comp., 1795), the Istoria dell’Inquisizione (Napoli, Giuseppe Campo, 1784), the Storia ragionata de’ Turchi (Venezia, Francesco Pitteri e Francesco Sansoni, 1788-1791, 8 volumes), as well as much of the journalistic work and the present Storia del regno di Svezia (the first large-scale modern work dedicated to the Scandinavian country by an Italian author), are part of a modern and far-sighted overall project of public information and youth education; hence the undeniable success of Becattini's works, almost all of which have been reprinted at least once during the author’s live. Political analyzes often judged inappropriate or unacceptable by the established power forced this fickle Florentine to a wandering life of exiles, economic difficulties and enemies often more powerful and socially better placed than him; circumstances that to some extent contributed to the progressive disappearance of his works - now almost all of them exceptionally rare - from historical and political discussion. A beautiful copy of a very rare work. REF.: M. A. MORELLI TIMPANARO, Su Francesco Becattini (1743-1813), di professione poligrafo, in Archivio Storico Italiano, CXLIX,2 (1991), pp. 279-374 (Seller ref. MC0176)
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