Claudii Ptolemaei Alexan: Drini Geographicae Enarrationis, Libri Octo. Ex Biblibaldi Pircke. Ymberi tralatione, sed ad Graeca et pisca exemplaria a Michaele Villanouano secundo recogniti, et locis innumeris denuo castigati. A diecta insuper ab eodem Scholia, quibus et difficilis ille Primus Liber nunc primum explicatur, et exoleta Urbium nomina ad nostri seculi morem exponuntur. Quinquaginta illae quoque cum ueterum tum recentium. Tabulae adnectuntur, uarijq; incolentium ritus et mores explicantur. Accedit Index locupletissimus hactenus nonuisus. Prostant Lugduni apud Hugonem a Porta, MDXLI.
A BEAUTIFUL COPY OF THE RARE SECOND SERVETUS EDITION OF PTOLEMY'S GEOGRAPHICA PRINTED IN 1541, MANY COPIES OF WHICH WERE DESTROYED ON CALVIN'S ORDERS AT THE TIME OF THE EXECUTION OF SERVETUS BY BEING BURNT AT THE STAKE FOR THIS BOOK'S PUBLICATION, WITH LOTS OF COPIES OF THE BOOKS BURNT WITH HIM!
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Christie's 14th June 2006 lot 378 realised $20,400 (USD).
Sotheby's 12th November 2019 lot 135 realised £18,750 (GBP)
*the above both complete or nearly complete with the maps.
Ptolemy's famous guide to geography was originally written around the 2nd century A.D. and was the standard work on the subject all the way up until the 1500s and its influence continues in no small manner to this day. This book also has particular importance with American collectors as it would contain the first map on which the name 'America' appeared as the continent of America was very recently discovered at this time.
The editor of this book, Servetus, was a Spanish theologian and physician who famously upset both Protestants and Catholics of the time and was proclaimed as a heretic, and is one of very few people to have been burnt at the stake twice! (though once as an effigy after escaping from a trial in Lyon, then actually in person along with many copies of his editions of Ptolemy's Geographica - this book being an example which was of course not burnt with him!).
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Size: 28 x 39.5 cm (approx.)
[Shirley T.PTOL-7h; USTC 112020; von Gultingen VI, pp.146]
Condition:
Text with four large woodcut diagrams and two full page woodcuts of a diagram and armillary sphere showing the projection of the 12 winds by Albrecht Durer. This example has two of the three parts to this book, containing the complete text in 149pp and the (complete) substantial index at the rear [A1-H6, colophon], but lacking the maps as unfortunately typical as these were often removed to be sold separately and are often found for sale individually. The stubs of the maps are present between the two sections, some with a few letters of text remaining.
18th century full calf binding shows incredibly attractively on the shelf with a beautiful spine with intricate bright gilt between raised bands and a delightful tooled red morocco label which reads 'Ptolomei Geograph-'. The spine is lightly rubbed with some wear at the extremities but generally very good to near fine, slight loss of gilt at head. Boards with some light wear at extremities and some slight peeling and small areas of loss. Both boards are securely attached and the binding is secure and without shelf lean if stood properly. Page edges appear non uniform externally due to the removal of the maps which has left the stubs and therefore a gap. This has also caused some slight inward warping of the binding but this is not particularly aesthetically intrusive.
Small ownership bookplate to front pastedown of 'Jose de Palacio y Vitery'. Replaced endpapers without any dated watermarks but probably 18th century with the binding. Text block with some mild toning as typical and occasional very minor stains at the edges but generally the text block is in excellent condition and essentially as excellent as one could hope for with a post incunable book. There's a small amount of wormholing affecting the final 5ff of the index but this is at the foot of each leaf and does not affect any text.
This is clearly a book which has been well cared for in its near 500 year history with the only significant detraction being the removal of the maps.
