Descrittione di tutti i Paesi Bassi, altrimenti detti Germania Inferiore. Antwerpen: Plantijn, 1581.Antwerp (In Anversa), Plantijn (Christofano Plantino), 1581, folio, modern binding with old parchment and modest decorative paper, [20]+558+[18] pp., apart from some sign of worming and some contempory notes the bookblock is in good condition with only minor staining and wear and tear. The connection to the later binding is somewhat damaged. With engraved frontipiece, engraved titlepage, a full page engraving depicting 18 heraldic city/region crests (one has been crossed out), a portrait of King Philippus of Spain, the heraldic crest of the author's family, many decorative initials (some dated to 1568) and head and tail pieces and 68 maps (most are double paged, a few are single paged and some pages have two maps). Lit: Voet 1277, Boele van Hensbroek VI; Tiele 422; Touwaide 1973, 35-60; Touwaide 1974, 5; Guicciardini Illustratos (2001) nr 5; Aristodemo 2020 (Phoebus Focus).There is a contemporary note on the French titlepage: “Del conti Inpolito Mario Vossi de St. Secondo et suoi credi” and a modern note on the inside of the front cover: "First Plantin edition with 2 front. (the first is very rare) and 68 maps and plates instead of 55."Lodovico Guicciardini (1521-1589) was an Italian writer and merchant from Florence who lived primarily in Antwerp from about 1542. This book was his best known work. It was an influential account of the history and the arts of the Low Countries, accompanied by city maps by various leading engravers. It was first published in 1567 and reprinted many times in various lanuages for centuries to come. This edition of 1581 was the first Plantin edition of Guiccardini's famous work. It is very scarce.