This second edition of L’Adamo, Sacra Rapresentatione, was written by Giovanni Battista Andreini and published by Geronimo Bordoni in Milan in 1617. The work is a religious drama, based on the biblical story of Genesis and Adam and Eve, and it is a play in five acts first published in 1613. 
The title means Adam, the Sacred Representation, and the title page says the work is dedicated to Alla M. Christ. Di Maria De Medicoi, Reina Di Francia Dedicata, Con Privilegio, which means the most Christian Maria de Medici, Queen of France, with privileges. A privilege was copyright permission from the queen, which indicated the printer or author had been granted a royal patent  (a royal license) to print or publish the book for a certain amount of time, and no one else could print the book during that period of time without a penalty. In effect, a privilege was a government-sanctioned monopoly that brought the author or publisher extra money. 
Giambattista Andreini (also Giovanni Battista Andreini, 1576 - 1654) was an Italian actor and the most important Italian playwright of the 17th century. Born in Florence to stage stars Isabella and Francesco Andreini, he was very successful as a comedian in Paris, where he performed under the name Lelio, he was a favorite with Louis XIII and the public, and his wife Virginia Ramponi-Andreini was also a celebrated actress and singer.
He wrote a number of plays filled with extravagant imagination. The best known was L'Adamo, then The Penitent Magdalene (Mantua 1617), and The Centaur (Paris 1622), and according to popular belief, Milton saw the play during his travels in Italy, which influenced his writing Paradise Lost.  
Geronimo Bordoni was a noted bookseller, engraver, and publisher who was active in Milan in the early 17th century, and he produced illustrations for L’Adamo, including the engraved title page, a portrait of Andreini, an engraved headpiece, and numerous engravings throughout the text.
The book is 3/4 bound, with a gilt label and the title in gilt at the top of the spine and “1617” in gilt on a label at the bottom of the spine, faintly speckled boards with what appears to be thin white vellum on the spine and at the corners of the boards, a bookplate on the front paste-down has the coat of arms for the House of Lichtenstein, with penciled notes above the bookplate, a penciled note at the top of the front flyleaf, the title page has a full-page engraving of Adam and Eve, followed by the imprimatur of Catholic censors - an imprimatur is an official declaration that the book has been cleared for publication because it has no moral or doctrinal errors related to the Catholic church - then a five-page dedication to Queen Maria de Medici, where Andreini thanks her for letting his book be published, then five pages addressed to the reader by Andreini, four more pages by Andreini addressed to the reader, two more pages explaining why Andreini wrote the play (Sopra La Voce Labbia …), a three- page summary of the contents of the play (Sommario De Gli Argomenti Delle Scene), followed by an Errata page (Errori da corregersi), one page listing the interlocutors (the characters who take part in the dialogue), a full-page engraving on the recto page before Atto Primo (the First act) - the engraving is a scene from the Garden of Eden, with God in the Heavens and Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden - there are 38 smaller half-page engravings in the book, with scenes from Genesis depicting Lucifero, Sathan, Belzebu (Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub) and other fantastic flights of devils and monsters (Melecano, Lurcon, Maltea, Vanagloria - Vainglory - et al) and the tempting serpent, and the book ends up with a portrait of Andreini at the rear (page 177). 
There are extensive notes in the margins by the publisher, a pencilled note on a blank page at the rear says “177 pp … 38 text engravings”, which means there are 177 pages of text and the 38 half-size engravings in the book (as well as the full-page engraving on the title page and the second full-page engraving on the recto page before Atto Primo), another penciled note on the rear paste-down mentions Bohatta 883, which refers to an entry in the bibliographic catalog created by Hanns Bohatta, the important Austrian librarian and bibliographer   (his catalog numbers are used by librarians, researchers, and book collectors   to locate historical documents in different libraries and collections worldwide), there is a faint red topstain applied to the edges of the pages, probably done by the publisher, and the text is in Italian and the page numbers are in Arabic, as called for. 
There is also a hand-written note on the obverse of 177, apparently with the owner’s name and date inscribed. The note reads “F Josef Scolarius Carmelita 1625”, and we believe Father Josef Scolarius was a member of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel - i.e, he was a Carmelite. The title page is also signed at the bottom by Pater Joseph [ineligible] Scolarius Carmela, which further reinforces our belief. 
The book is rare. WorldCat say there are only four copies of the book in Special Collections around the world, but there are actually only three listed in Special Collections: at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh, one at the National Library of France (Bibliotheque nationale de franc) in Paris, and one at the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels. BYU in Provo, Utah, supposedly had one in Special Collections, but it is not listed in their holdings anymore. (The National Library of France also has a first edition from 1613.) 
In 2014, Christie’s sold a 1617 copy for £500 (without the premium) and that copy was missing a leaf at the rear, it had a repaired tear, and a number of leaves were closely shaved, and in 2016, they sold a 1613 copy for £2,500   (over $3200), and only two copies from 1617 are listed for sale on the rare book website we use - one in Torino, Italy at $2700 and another for nearly $1900.
The book measures 8 3/4 x 6 7/8 inches wide, we believe the book has been rebound, the binding is tight, with occasional offset, light soiling and brown spots in the margins (a few touch the text, but not a lot, and the engravings are rather clean), there are water stains in some of the margins, the title page is shaved a bit at the bottom where it is signed “Pater Joseph … Scolarius Carmela”, but the signature is very clear and the title page is not missing any text or part of the engraving, there’s a tape remnant at the top of page 49, all pages, engravings and text are present, and the book is in pretty good condition and a very good example of early Italian Baroque theatre.  
 

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