PTOLEMY.

£12,500 · Offered by Sokol Books

Handsome, complete set of finely engraved maps extracted from the first edition of Giuseppe Moleto Latin re-translation of Ptolemy s Geography. An Italian mathematician, Moleto (1531-1588) revised and annotated the text of Pirckheymer s previous translation (1525) on the basis of various Greek manuscripts. Claudius Ptolemy of Alexandria (c.100-170 AD) is regarded as the most influential ancient astronomer. His Geographia is an atlas and a treatise on cartography which constitutes a fundamental compendium of the geographic knowledge of the Greco-Roman world. The 64 excellent copperplate maps are reproduced from the Italian edition by Girolamo Ruscelli printed by Valgrisi the year before, with very minor differences. These maps were engraved by the Venetian Giulio Sanuto under the direction of his brother, the cosmographer and cartographer Livio Sanuto (1520-1576). There are 27 old Ptolemaic maps and 37 new ones. The first plate shows Ptolemy s famous map of the world, while the second plate, depicting the world divided into two hemispheres, is considered by Nordenskiöld to be the first such map to appear in an atlas. The third map represents the World s hydrography, and it is followed by several maps illustrating Europe, Africa, Asia and north and south America, many focusing in detail on their countries and regions. Remarkably, plate 58 which contains a map of Sri Lanka includes a charming illustration of an elephant and it is the only one accompanied by a similar decoration

• Binding: Hardcover

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