CARVALHO, João Jorge de Gaticanea, ou Cruelissima Guerra entre os Cães, e os Gatos, decidida em huma sanguinolenta batalha na grande Praça da Real Villa de Mafra. Lisbon Francisco Luiz Ameno 1781
Small 8vo. (2) ff., xi, 126 pp., 1 f. with instructions to binder. With 3 plates (2 folding). Contemporary calf (rubbed).
First edition of this mock-heroic epic poem. It was probably influenced by Lope de Vega’s lengthy poem, La Gatomachia, though in the preface the poet writes that his inspiration came from having his dinner stolen by four cats. Canto 3 contains a description of the king's palace at Mafra, which is reproduced in one of the curious and lively plates. Three editions appeared of this unusual work within fifty years. Some occasional spotting. Innocêncio III, 390. Palha 1018, peu commune et estimé. Avila Perez 1306, rara. Ameal 504, obra muito interessante e estimada. Rara. Pimentel, Poemas herói-comicos portugueses, pp.59-62. Soares, Gravura Artística em Portugal, 1136. Sousa de Câmara 562. Not in HSA or Greenlee.
£520
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