Medina, Pedro de: da Corsula, Vicenzo Palatino, translator:

$15,000 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

L'ARTE DEL NAVEGAR, IN LAQUAL SI CONTENGONO LE REGOLE, DECHIARATIONI, SECRETI, & AUISI, ALLA BONA NAUEGATION NECESSARII.... First Italian edition of one of the most important navigational treatises of the Renaissance. This is the second issue, with the date on the titlepage changed from 1554 to 1555 (the colophon still reads 1554). Medina's work, first published in Spanish in Valladolid in 1545, was the first practical treatise on navigation. Forming a like pair with Martin Cortes' Breve Compendio de la Sphera y de la Arte de Navegar, this is the earliest work to give reliable information on the navigation of American waters, as Medina - said to have been one of Hernan Cortes' captains - based his information on the firsthand experiences of pilots and masters of the ships using the West Indies trade route. It was the earliest translations of this work, the first French edition of 1554 swiftly followed by the first issue of the present edition, which enabled the rest of Europe to challenge Spanish hegemony of the seas. It became a popular standard text in the 16th century and was soon translated into English and Dutch. The map of the Atlantic and adjacent coastal regions, titled "Mundo Novo," is a faithful reproduction of the map from the first edition and notably depicts the North American coastline from Labrador all the way south to Brazil and Peru, labeling Florida and several islands of the West Indies, as well as the Mississippi River ("R. Spi. San."), Mexico, and various

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