Philippus de Diversis, Description of the Illustrious City of Dubrovnik - (Medieval Mediterranean) by Vesna Blazina (Hardcover)

About the Book

This is the first English-language translation of the description of 15th-century Dubrovnik by the humanist Philippus de Diversis. In his text he describes all aspects of life in the city, adding themes which were not usually found in city praises, such as the plague control measures and the functioning of public offices.

Book Synopsis

This is the first English-language translation of the description of 15th-century Dubrovnik by the humanist Philippus de Diversis. The text provides a unique account of all aspects of urban life; it is unusual in that it includes themes which were not usually found in city praises, such as the plague control measures and the functioning of public offices.
Diversis' aim was to describe "the honour and the reputation of the city of Dubrovnik, which through his endeavour was to last forever". His work is documentary, literary, and personal, and as this edition testifies, it is still read and admired six centuries later.

About the Author

Vesna Blazina is a librarian and translator who worked at Université de Montréal. She is the co-author of two books: Expelling the Plague: The Health Office and the Implementation of Quarantine in Dubrovnik, 1377-1533 (Montreal, 2015); and Knjiga gospode zdravstvenih sluzbenika 1500-1530 / Libro deli Signori Chazamorbi 1500-1530 / Book of the Gentlemen Health Officials 1500-1530, (Zagreb, 2021).