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Details
GIRAVA, Hieronimo (d.1556). Dos Libros de Cosmographia. Milan: G.A. Castiglione and C. Carron, 1556.
4° (230 x 167mm). Woodcut title, folding world map, text-illustrations and diagrams, 'man in the moon' device on recto of final leaf. (World map with short splits at folds and with two short tears just into image, occasional faint staining.) Contemporary calf, small gilt lozenge-shaped foliate device within blind-stamped panel with small gilt cornerpieces, gilt edges (rubbed and crazed, some tiny patches of worming to covers, lacking ties). Provenance: JOHN EVELYN'S COPY (deleted press marks in Evelyn's hand on flyleaf and in margin of title, booklabel; sold:) — Christie's 30 November 1977, lot 637 (bought by Ludworth, on behalf of:) — British Rail Pension Fund (sold:) — Sotheby's 27 September 1988, lot 66 (bought by Cullen).
FIRST EDITION WITH THE GREAT CORDIFORM MAPPEMUNDE BY VOLPELLIO. The map, rarely found with the book, is similar in design to that of Vadianus, but varies in some details. It shows not only the coast of New Spain extending westward and joining Asia, but also Labrador extending northeastward joining Greenland which in turn is attached to Scandinavia. It notes that the Mar de Svr (Pacific Ocean) was discovered by Balboa in 1513. The volume is divided into two books, in the second of which are several very important chapters concerning America, including accounts of Tierra del Labrador, Tierra de Baccallaos, Florida, Nueva Espana, and Peru which includes all of South America. To this is annexed a table giving the longitudes from the meridian of Tenerife of all the most important towns, ports, rivers and islands in the American continent. Following the cosmographical part of the work is a section on navigation, giving full practical instructions for finding latitude by day or night by the inclination of the sun and moon, and mentioning Gemma Frisius’s method of determining longitude by time difference. Girava continues with a discourse on the compass, and concludes with tables showing the degrees of longitude which could be arrived at by the number of miles travelled along different lines of latitude. The book is printed throughout in italics, being the second book printed by Castiglione in this type. VERY RARE — ONLY TWO COPIES HAVE SOLD IN THE PAST 30 YEARS AT AUCTION: the Frank S. Streeter copy (Christie's New York 16 April 2007, lot 228, and previously sold by an anonymous owner, Sotheby's London, 23 April 1987, lot 185) and the present copy. Alden & Landis 556/21; Borba de Moraes I, 299 ('extremely rare'); Palau 102633; Sabin 27504 (1570 edition only); Shirley 101; Wagner Northwest Coast II, 279.
4° (230 x 167mm). Woodcut title, folding world map, text-illustrations and diagrams, 'man in the moon' device on recto of final leaf. (World map with short splits at folds and with two short tears just into image, occasional faint staining.) Contemporary calf, small gilt lozenge-shaped foliate device within blind-stamped panel with small gilt cornerpieces, gilt edges (rubbed and crazed, some tiny patches of worming to covers, lacking ties). Provenance: JOHN EVELYN'S COPY (deleted press marks in Evelyn's hand on flyleaf and in margin of title, booklabel; sold:) — Christie's 30 November 1977, lot 637 (bought by Ludworth, on behalf of:) — British Rail Pension Fund (sold:) — Sotheby's 27 September 1988, lot 66 (bought by Cullen).
FIRST EDITION WITH THE GREAT CORDIFORM MAPPEMUNDE BY VOLPELLIO. The map, rarely found with the book, is similar in design to that of Vadianus, but varies in some details. It shows not only the coast of New Spain extending westward and joining Asia, but also Labrador extending northeastward joining Greenland which in turn is attached to Scandinavia. It notes that the Mar de Svr (Pacific Ocean) was discovered by Balboa in 1513. The volume is divided into two books, in the second of which are several very important chapters concerning America, including accounts of Tierra del Labrador, Tierra de Baccallaos, Florida, Nueva Espana, and Peru which includes all of South America. To this is annexed a table giving the longitudes from the meridian of Tenerife of all the most important towns, ports, rivers and islands in the American continent. Following the cosmographical part of the work is a section on navigation, giving full practical instructions for finding latitude by day or night by the inclination of the sun and moon, and mentioning Gemma Frisius’s method of determining longitude by time difference. Girava continues with a discourse on the compass, and concludes with tables showing the degrees of longitude which could be arrived at by the number of miles travelled along different lines of latitude. The book is printed throughout in italics, being the second book printed by Castiglione in this type. VERY RARE — ONLY TWO COPIES HAVE SOLD IN THE PAST 30 YEARS AT AUCTION: the Frank S. Streeter copy (Christie's New York 16 April 2007, lot 228, and previously sold by an anonymous owner, Sotheby's London, 23 April 1987, lot 185) and the present copy. Alden & Landis 556/21; Borba de Moraes I, 299 ('extremely rare'); Palau 102633; Sabin 27504 (1570 edition only); Shirley 101; Wagner Northwest Coast II, 279.
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