Orario Spirituale per le Dame. Ossia raccolta d’instruzioni ed affetti per la Santa Messa per la Confessione e Communione e molti altri di pietà

Small 12mo.  120 x 80 mm., [4 ¾ x 3 ¼ inches]. 324 p.  Illustrated with an engraved frontispiece and title-page and three engraved plates by the Vallardi brothers.  Bound in full red morocco, gilt border of acanthus leaves and vines on the boards, spine decorated with ornate patters set within three raised bands; pink glaze paper endsheets.  End bands of light green and red silk, with a red and green ribbon page marker.  All edges gilt. Very nice copy with only minimal rubbing to the joints of the binding.

A rare and handsome prayer book organized and directed to women, with emphasis on the preparation for the mass and holy sacraments.  The volume begins with a series of prayers, including the “Our Father” and the “Confession of the Faith.”  This is followed by prayer to the Holy Ghost requesting His help in combatting the devil and his attempts to corrupt the purity of the female soul.  The book continues with prayers composed for the Mass and communion, and prayers in preparation for the sacrament of confession.  This is followed by prayers for the dead, the text of the “Ways of the Cross” and repetitive prayers making up the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, the Angels, Saints, and the martyrs.

The engravings by Vallardi include images of Madre del Salvatore, Madre del Redentore, Santo Luigi Gonzaga, and Santo Vincent de Paul.

Rare: ICCU (Italian Union Catalogue) cites only one copy of an edition dated 1837 with 218 pp. and no illustrations.  OCLC adds an edition dated 1829 with 360 pp. in only the copy at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.