1820 THIEVES Art of Stealing Portuguese Arte de Furtar Jesuit Vieria Costa RARE

1820 THIEVES Art of Stealing Portuguese Arte de Furtar Jesuit Vieria Costa RARE

“Arte de Furtar” is a rare Portuguese thieves manual anonymously written in the early 17^th-century. This book, more commonly known as ‘The Art of Stealing’, is a curious treatise on the ways that thieves take advantage of unsuspecting victims, the use of deceit, lock-picking skills, and persuasion. In fact, the writer covers the advantages to stealing at parties, important disguises, and even the personality qualities that prove to be most helpful to stealing. It also includes interesting sections on the ways kings steal from their subjects.

While the title suggests this work to be a ‘help guide’ for thieves, it is in fact the opposite – a work designed to give readers a glimpse into the mind a thief in hopes of helping them not become victims of thieves.

The author of this work has long been unknown. In fact, authorship has often been incorrectly ascribed to 17^th-century priest Antonio Vieria, as is the case on this 1820 “London” edition. Others include Thome Pinheiro da Veiga, Manuel da Costa, and Joao Pinto Ribeiro.

Item number: #25715

Price: $499

VIEYRA, Antonio [false authorship]

Arte de furtar, espelho de enganos, theatro de verdades, mostrador de horas minguadas, gazua geral dos reynos de Portugal

Londres: Officina de T.C. Hansard, 1820.

Details:

• Collation: Complete
  • xxiv, [2], 428
• Provenance: Bookplate – William Stirling
  • Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, 9th Baronet, (1818–1878) was a Scottish historical writer, art historian and politician. Until 1865, when he inherited the title of Baronet of Pollock and added the surname Maxwell, he was known as William Stirling, and several of his books were published under that name. He was Chancellor of the University of Glasgow from 1875 until his death and was also a Knight of the Thistle, considered the highest honor that can be conferred by the Crown on a Scotsman. Numerous iterations of Stirling-Maxwell’s bookplates have been identified; the monogrammed W. S. present in this bookplate is no exception, along with the inclusion of one of his mottos—NON MORTALE QUOD OPTO. Additionally, the embossed supralibros on both the front and rear boards of this novel have been attributed to Maxwell-Stirling.
• Language: Portuguese
• Binding: Leather; tight and secure
• Size: ~8.5in X 5.5in (21.5cm x 14cm)
• Quite rare

Our Guarantee:

Very Fast. Very Safe. Free Shipping Worldwide.

Customer satisfaction is our priority! Notify us with 7 days of receiving, and we will offer a full refund without reservation!

25715