 The Book of the Courtier

The Book of the Courtier ( ) by Baldassare Castiglione, is a lengthy philosophical dialogue on the topic of what constitutes an ideal courtier or (in the third chapter) court lady, worthy to befriend and advise a Prince or political leader.The book quickly became enormously popular and was assimilated by its readers into the genre of prescriptive courtesy books or books of manners, dealing with issues of etiquette, self-presentation, and morals, particularly at princely, or royal courts, books such as Giovanni Della Casa's "Galateo " (1558) and Stefano Guazzo's "The civil conversation" (1574).