Apianus, Petrus | The scarce edition that first includes Frisius's account of the conquest of the Inca Empire

Apianus, Petrus

Cosmographia (ed. Gemma Frisius). Antwerp: Gillis Coppens van Diest for Arnold Birckmann, 1539

4to (232 x 160 mm). collation: A–O4 P6: 62 foliated leaves. Title-page with large woodcut globe, woodcuts with volvelles on fos. Xv. XIv (sundial string), XIIIv, XXIXr, and XLVv, 45 woodcut text illustrations, maps, and diagrams, final page with woodcut printer's device, numerous historiated and other decorative woodcut initials; tiny chip to lower inner margin of title-page. Contemporary vellum, title inked on spine; lightly soiled. Brown buckram folding-case, brown morocco labels.

Although this edition of the Cosmographia was issued without a map, the volvelle-diagram on fo. XXIX designates the western hemisphere as "America"; fo. XXXI also contains text relating to Amerigo Vespucci's exploration of the New World. This edition includes for the first time Frisius's early and important account of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.

Very uncommon: no copy of the 1539 edition is recorded in Rare Book Hub for nearly two decades and only two are cited since the Harmsworth sale in 1948.

REFERENCES:

Church 77; European Americana 539/1; Nijhoff & Kronenberg 125; Ortroy, Apian 30; Sabin 1744