Italian businessman and author. Florence, August 1521 - Antwerp, 22 March 1589. He left Italy for Lyons in 1538. Shortly afterwards (perhaps already in 1540) he settled down in Antwerp, where, together with his brother Giovan-Battista, he started dealing in cloth, goldthread and similar commodities. One of the many Italians who tried to make a living in Antwerp, L. Guicciardini would have remained a rather obscure figure, if he had not published in 1567 his 'Description of the Whole Netherlands', the first detailed description of the principalities and cities of the Low Countries, which assured the author instant fame (and which remains till to-day an important source for our knowledge of the 16th century Netherlands). Of the many studies on the Florentine-Antwerp businessman and author can be singled out: E. Van Even, 'Ludovico Guicciardini' in Annales de l'Académie d'Archéologie de Belgique, 33, 1877; P.A.M. Boele van Hensbroeck, 'Lodovico Guicciardini, Descrittione di tutti i Paesi Bassi. De oudste beschrijving der Nederlanden, in hare verschillende uitgaven en vertalingen beschouwd' in Bijdragen en Mededeelingen van het Historisch Genootschap te Utrecht, 1878, pages 199-287; Biographie Nationale [de Belgique], 8, 1884-1885, Columns 420-428; J. Denucé, Oud-Nederlandsche kaartmakers in betrekking met Plantijn, I, Antwerp, 1912, pages 140-162: M. Sabbe, 'Ludovico Guicciardini' in Uit het Plantijnsche Huis, Antwerp, 1924, pages 42-49; E.J. Roobaert, 'Nieuwe gegevens over Calvete de Estrella en L. Guicciardini uit de rekeningen van de Antwerpse magistraat' in Bijdragen tot de Geschiedenis inzonderheid van het Oud Hertogdom Brabant, 41, 1958, pages 68-94. Very valuable and detailed descriptions of the Antwerp editions of Guicciardini by R.H. Touwaide, 'Les éditions belges de la Description des Pays-Bas par Lodovico Guicciardini. Analyse iconographique et typographique' in De Gulden Passer, 43, 1965, pages 135-148 (1re partie: original Italian edition, G. Silvius, 1567); 48, 1970, pages 40-57 (2me partie: 1st and 2nd French editions, Silvius, 1567 and 1568); 48, 1970, pages 58-83 (3me partie: Italian edition, Plantin, 1581); 49, 1971, pages 29-48 (4me partie: French edition, Plantin, 1582); 49, 1971, pages 49-62 (5me partie: Italian edition, Plantin, 1588). Cf. also by R.H. Touwaide, 'La Description de Tous les Pays-Bas par Lodovico Guicciardini. Complément à la Bibliographie de Boele van Hensbroeck' in Revue Archives et Bibliothèques de Belgique, 45, 1974, and 'La cartographie dans les éditions belges de la Description de Tous les Pays-Bas de Lodovico Guicciardini, avec préface par Antoine De Smet' in Bulletin de la Société Royale de Géographie d'Anvers, 86, 1975-1976.