Platina's On Right Pleasure

Platina, Bartolomeo. On Right Pleasure and Good Health: A Renaissance Gentlemen's Discourse on Food, Health and Physical Pleasures. Edited, translated, and abridged by Mary Ella Milham, Pegasus Press, 1999.

Bartolomeo Sacchi, known as Platina—soldier, schoolmaster, papal administrator, author, librarian, and prototypical Italian humanist—composed On Right Pleasure and Good Health between 1463 and 1465. Originally written for the enjoyment of his friends, this work draws from sources such as Pliny, the Arab physician Ibn Butlan, and the renowned chef Martino d’Rossi. The text spans ten books, addressing the relationship between food and health through philosophical, dietetic, and aesthetic lenses.

Edited and translated by Mary Ella Milham, this edition captures Platina’s advice on topics ranging from proper table settings, the benefits of fresh air, rest, and sexual pleasure, to the practicalities of sleep. His extensive collection of recipes provides insight into the health and culinary practices of the 15th-century Italian elite, blending a concern for well-being with a love for gastronomic pleasure.

This abridged version retains the rich cultural and historical significance of the original, making it an excellent resource for those interested in Renaissance food, health practices, and Platina’s humanistic philosophy. Milham’s work is invaluable to scholars and casual readers alike, offering a window into Renaissance Italy’s relationship with food, health, and the pleasures of life.

This is a paperback book in very good condition, but for an prior owner's address label on the top corner of the first page.  220 pages. It's approximately 6¼"wide by 9¼"tall. ISBN: 9781889818122 / 1889818127.

I'm asking $100.