- 89
Brahe, Tycho
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
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Description
- Brahe, Tycho
- De mundi aetherei recentioribus phaenomenis liber secundus. Uraniborg and Prague: (typis Schumanianis), [1588 and] 1603
- Paper
4to (225 x 167mm.), woodcut device on title-page and above colophon, woodcut initials, diagrams and illustrations, contemporary vellum with central portrait of Tycho on upper cover and his arms on lower cover, gilt borders and corner stamps, flat spine gilt, red edges, two later green ties, title-leaf and conjoint leaf *4 repaired in gutter, new endpapers (possibly a remboitage), upper cover somewhat stained, spine repaired at head and foot
Provenance
two early inscriptions on title-page (one a motto, "Omnia fortiter sustineo"); Per Hierte, inscription in Danish on front flyleaf
Literature
BL Scandinavian STC B982; Houzeau & Lancaster 2699; VD17 14:698438M (listing just one copy, in Dresden)
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Tycho's treatise on the 1577 comet, together with his visualisation of the cosmos combining the Ptolemaic and Copernican systems, was originally printed on the press of his Uraniborg observatory in 1588, and circulated among his correspondents; Kepler, one of Tycho's assistants in Prague, had the sheets reissued after Tycho's death in 1601. The sheets of this edition were printed in Uraniborg with just the preliminary and final leaves supplied by the Prague printer Schumann.
Other vellum bindings with Brahe's portrait and coat of arms are listed in the British Library database of bookbindings, some of which were presentation copies from the author; the armorial binding on Epistolae astronomicae (1596) now in Wolfenbüttel is illustrated in Books and the sciences in history (Cambridge, 2000), pp. 126-127.