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GIRAVA, Hieronymus (d.1556). Dos libros de cosmographia. Milan: G.A. Castiglione and C. Carron, 1556.
The very rare first edition, with the great cordiform mappemunde by Volpellio. According to RBH and ABPC only one other copy has sold at auction in more than 25 years. 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; it is the second book printed by Castiglione in this type.
Quarto (217 x 160mm). Folding woodcut world map (280 x 407mm) (a few tape reinforcements along folds on verso; wormtracks in upper margin of gatherings Y-2E, some pale dampstaining). 18th-century mottled calf, spine gilt with floral tools, citron morocco lettering piece (some wear at extremities); quarter morocco slipcase. Provenance: Augustinian Hermits (17th-century inscription); T. Norton (ink stamp on title, inscription on pastedown: "T. Norton. Pte. de Lima 13 Dec. 1841. Affe. de Fornellos"); Sotheby's London, 23 April 1987, lot 185; Frank Streeter (his sale, Christie's New York 16 April 2007, lot 228).
The very rare first edition, with the great cordiform mappemunde by Volpellio. According to RBH and ABPC only one other copy has sold at auction in more than 25 years. 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; it is the second book printed by Castiglione in this type.
Quarto (217 x 160mm). Folding woodcut world map (280 x 407mm) (a few tape reinforcements along folds on verso; wormtracks in upper margin of gatherings Y-2E, some pale dampstaining). 18th-century mottled calf, spine gilt with floral tools, citron morocco lettering piece (some wear at extremities); quarter morocco slipcase. Provenance: Augustinian Hermits (17th-century inscription); T. Norton (ink stamp on title, inscription on pastedown: "T. Norton. Pte. de Lima 13 Dec. 1841. Affe. de Fornellos"); Sotheby's London, 23 April 1987, lot 185; Frank Streeter (his sale, Christie's New York 16 April 2007, lot 228).