Hyginus, Caius Julius

4to (200 x 146mm.), types 3:91G (text), 7:92G (heading on a2r), 91Gk, 31 lines, 47 half-page woodcuts a few of which partially coloured by an early hand, many white-on-black floriated woodcut initials, title printed in red, collation: a-f8, g10 = 58 leaves including the initial blank, nineteenth-century boards covered in vellum from a fourteenth-century medical manuscript, some spots in lower margin of four leaves, some marginal soiling especially in the latter half

Thomas Ebersarg, fifteenth-century inscription on initial blank; Biblioth. Coll. Widens. (Wied?), manuscript exlibris on title page dated 1854; Richard Priest, twentieth-century manuscript ex libris in pencil; Grolier Club, sale, Christie's NY, 29 May 1998, lot 33

BMC V, 286; CIBN H-334; Essling 285; Goff H-560; HC 9062; Pol 2039; Sander 3472

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."

First illustrated edition and the first depictions of the constellations in a printed book, the beginning of celestial cartography.