Pesci - L’Egira Toscana o sia la Cremania - 1801

L’EGIRA TOSCANA 1801: RARE POLITICAL SATIRE ON TUSCANY, CONTRA-REVOLUTIONARY, IN FIRST EDITION AND BOUND IN BARBES ABSTRACT Rare first edition of this biting political-literary satire devoted to the events in Tuscany between the French occupation of 1799 and the subsequent Austrian-grand ducal restoration. The author hides behind the pseudonym Clemente Pesci, while bibliographies attribute the work to Raimondo Leoni. The main target is Luigi Cremani, a magistrate and man of the grand ducal apparatus, whose name yields the pun “Cremania.” The poem, organized into five cantos and accompanied by extensive notes, blends political chronicle, invective, irony, and references to contemporary events. An exemplary copy, particularly desirable for its preservation in bound format and for the genuine appearance of simple period blind-stamped binding. WHY TO BUY FIRST EDITION – Rare original imprint, generally dated to 1801, directly tied to the Tuscan political upheavals of the revolutionary and Napoleonic era. BOUND IN BARBES – Large margins, untrimmed, and paper preserved in its original state, a highly appreciated feature in antiquarian collecting. TUSCAN POLITICAL SATIRE – Lively and uncommon document of tensions among democrats, grand ducal restoration, Austrian presence, and antifrench reaction. PSEUDONYM AND FALSE IMPRINT – The author presents himself as Clemente Pesci and the book bears “In Crema, per Luigi Presidenti S. del B. G.”, typical elements of the editorial caution required by a politically polemical text. MARKET VALUE For a first edition copy, bound in barb, with genuine period binding as in the present item, a reasonable antiquarian appraisal can be indicated at €150–300. CONDITION Contemporary or slightly later simple binding on yellow-ivory paper, spine covered in light paper with manuscript title “L’Egira Toscana o sia la Cremania.” Minor abrasions, small marginal losses and signs of use to the cover; paper with some foxing and normal browning. Copy bound in barb. In old books, with a centuries-long history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. This listing contains AI Views. Please refer to the original photographs to verify the actual condition of the object. Images are part of the description. Pp. 14; (2); 80. FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR L’Egira Toscana o sia la Cremania con note. In Crema [but most likely Florence], for Luigi Presidenti S. del B. G., [c. 1801]. Raimondo Leoni [under the pseudonym Clemente Pesci]. SIGNIFICANCE The work was born in the convulsive climate of Tuscany between 1799 and 1801. After the entry of French troops, the subsequent political upheaval and the restoration of grand ducal authorities supported by the Austrians provoked persecutions, purges, and very strong tensions between pro-French, democratic, and restorationist factions. L’Egira Toscana transforms these events into a satirical five-canto poem, targeting especially Luigi Cremani and the reactionary circles. The text records, in an ironic and polemical form, episodes, characters, and political moods of the time, thus becoming not only a literary work but also a curious source on popular perception of the Tuscan crisis at the end of the 18th century. BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR Raimondo Leoni was a prolific author and polemicist active in the Tuscan milieu at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th. For this work he used the pseudonym Clemente Pesci, a clearly understandable choice given the openly political and satirical nature of the text. His stance emerges as a critique of the reactionary restoration and of persecutions against democratic circles. The scarcity of biographical information about the author contributes to the almost clandestine, documentary character of the work. PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION L’Egira Toscana was published anonymously or under a pseudonym, without an explicit date, under the imprint “In Crema, per Luigi Presidenti S. del B. G.” Bibliography commonly places the print around 1801 and identifies the typographic designation as fictitious, with probable Florentine production. The text was conceived in close chronological proximity to the events described, a feature that increases its documentary value. Circulation must have been limited due to the strongly polemical content and the still unstable political situation. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES CLIO, Catalogue of Italian books of the 19th century, entry Raimondo Leoni. ICCU / SBN, L’Egira Toscana o sia la Cremania. WorldCat, L’Egira Toscana o sia la Cremania. Bibliographies on revolutionary and Napoleonic Tuscany. Indexes on Italian political press between the 18th and 19th centuries. Specialist antiquarian catalogs of Tuscan history, the French Revolution, and the Napoleonic period.

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