PTOLOMAEUS - MAGINI. Geographiae vniuersae tum veteris, tum nouae absolutissimum opus…

PTOLOMAEUS, Claudius - MAGINI, Giovanni. Geographiae vniuersae tum veteris, tum nouae absolutissimum opus…

Köln, Petrus Keschedt - Arnhem, Jan Janssonius, 1597

2 parts in one volume in 4to. 230x170 mm. Contemporary German blind-tooled pigskin binding, 250x185 mm; rich impressions of concentric frames, in the centre of the front cover an allegory of Justice, in the centre of the back cover a portrait of ‘Lucrezia’, both surrounded by scenes from the New Testament, clasps, red edges; on the front cover the initials G*M*N* and the date 1599 are impressed in black.

Part I: Pages [8], 47, [1], 184, [40]. Collation: )(4 A-F4, A-L8, M4, A-E4. Part II: Leaves 292 [i.e. 294], [56], one world map outside the text and 63 full-page in-text maps printed on recto or verso of letterpress printing with the very rare folded map of the World. Collation: A-C8 D4 E-P8 Q4 R-Z8 2A-2O8 a-g4.

In the second part, leaves 123-124 are omitted in the numbering and leaves 181-184 are repeated in the numbering. Title of pt. 2: Geographiae ... pars secunda continens ... tabulas ... a Hieronymo Porro Pat. incisas. Una cum ... expositionibus ... authore Io. Antonio Magino. Two Frontispieces engraved with title within an illustrated frame, italic and roman type, ornate initials, headers, endpieces, woodcut figures in the text.

Heraldic Ex libris ‘R. Grottanelli Ugurgieri’ on the inside cover. Ancient handwritten note of ownership on the upper margin of the first Title page “Ad Bibl: Aul: Eystett.em” Copy with the colophon at the end of the Index: “Arnhemii Apud Iohannem Iansonium Bibliopolam. Anno M.D. XCVII”

In total 2 illustrated Title pages with allegories of the Four Continents, a large World map outside the text and 63 full-page maps, including 3 World maps, all engraved on copper.

Slight uniform browning, usual for the quality of the paper, sporadic traces of use, overall a fine copy in a splendid contemporary German binding.

Rare Second Latin edition, issue with Jansonnius' colophon. Two parts in one volume, titles on oval cartouches within engraved allegorical borders, 64 maps engraved by Girolamo Porro, consisting of a double-page map of the modern world based on Rumold Mercator's 1587 version and 63 full-page maps printed on recto or verso with letterpress, including 3 world maps.

The world maps in the text are: “Ptolemaei Typus”, a classical Ptolemaic map, on the verso of the Title Page of the second part; “Universi Orbis Descriptio” a map of the modern world in the oval projection used by Ortelius, on map 29 verso; “Universi Orbis Descriptio ad Vsum Navigantium”, a nautical map based on Mercator on map. 291 verso.

The work is very important, as it documents the most significant geographical discoveries of the late 16th century, accompanied by an accurate commentary by Magini. Furthermore, to the traditional twenty-seven maps with which Ptolemy's work had been illustrated until then, another thirty-seven finely engraved in copper by Gerolamo Porro based on those by Giacomo Gastaldi were added. The first volume, in eight books, contains the general principles of geography, the rules for the construction of geographical maps as well as a catalogue of regions and places. The second opens with the twenty-seven tables of the ancient world taken from those engraved by Girolamo Ruscelli, the different regions of the known world are then carefully described and illustrated with thirty-seven geographical maps. The beautiful map of America appears on map 278. The map of the world in two hemispheres, outside the text, bears the title 'Orbis Terrae compendiosa descriptio … '; it is a smaller version of the one by Rumbold Mercator which appeared ten years earlier and is described by Shirley as “an exceptionally fine engraving in its own right.” The name of the engraver appears on the title page of volume 2.

Adams M-117; Alden & Landis 597/57; Phillips Atlases 404 (issue with colophon); Sabin 66493 and 43822; Shirley 201-204.