Sealed Hardcover copy of "Federico da Montefeltro and his library" 

exhibition catalogue.

Below an abstract of the Time Out magazine review...

Federico da Montefeltro (1422–82), the illegitimate son of the Count of Urbino, Guidantonio da Montefeltro (1404–1443), made his fortune as a mercenary. But in 1444, the year after his father’s death, he seized power, assuming the title of Duke after his half brother was suspiciously murdered (presumably on Federico’s orders, though never proven). Besides being a master of court intrigue, Federico was also a skillful self-promoter who employed cultural pursuits to portray himself as the ideal Renaissance leader—strong, erudite and pious. This tiny but dense exhibition of objects from the Duke’s library and private study offers just a taste of the tremendous collections that Federico amassed at the Ducal Palace in Urbino, where every detail aimed to impress. The show includes only one painting, eight books and a six-foot tall brass lectern topped with a crowned eagle from the Montefeltro coat of arms, but it reveals a great deal about the transformative powers of patronage, which can burnish even a tainted reputation.