Josephus, Flavius

Anghiera, Pietro Martire d' [Peter Martyr]. De rebus oceanicis & orbe novo decades tres. Basel: Johann Bebel, 1533, woodcut initials, woodcut printer's device at end [Adams M754; Sabin 1557; VD16 A2843]

2 works in one volume, folio (318 x 202mm.), contemporary parchment paper-covered boards, occasional slight dampstaining, title-page to second work with small holes at head, some wear to binding

Herould, inscription dated 1578 at foot of title-page of first work

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."

Anghiera's De rebus oceanicis is an early and influential history of the discovery of the New World that contains the first account of Balboa's sighting of the Pacific Ocean as well as the earliest account of Cabot's discoveries along the northeast coast of America. A scholar and tutor to the children of Ferdinand and Isabella, Anghiera was also a friend and contemporary of Columbus, Cabot, Vespucci, Magellan, Vasco de Gama and Cortes; his correspondence with these men and the documents he examined in his role as an official of the Council for the Indies enabled him to speak with authority about the major events in the discovery of the New World. He later came to England during the reign of Edward VI as a refugee from the Church of Rome.

The first edition of the first decade of De rebus oceanicis was published in 1511, with further decades added in the Alcala editions of 1516 and 1530.  This is a reprint of an edition of 1517, containing the first three decades and an abridgment of the fourth.

The first work in this volume is a translation from the Greek of Flavius Josephus's De bello Judaico by an anonymous author, the so-called Hegesippus.