How was the first edition of Scienza nuova received during Giambattista Vico’s lifetime?

The first edition of Giambattista Vico’s Scienza nuova, published in 1725, was unsuccessful. Lacking the funds to publish the full text, Vico had been forced to reduce his manuscript by two-thirds after his original sponsor, Cardinal Corsini, withdrew his support—likely due to alarm over Vico’s bold propositions regarding the "bestial" origins of human society.1

Following the publication, Vico complained bitterly of the "virtually universal indifference" his masterpiece received from his contemporaries. His hopes for recognition had been previously buoyed by the attention of the scholar Jean Leclerc, but this interest proved fleeting, and the Scienza nuova was largely ignored in scholarly circles during his lifetime. Despite this initial lack of success, Vico remained resilient, eventually dedicating himself to a total restructuring and revision of the work.1