Beschreibung:

PTOLEMAEUS, Claudius (c.100-c.178) and Giuseppe MOLETO (1531-1588). Geographia … a Bilibaldo Pirckheimherio traslata. Venice: Valgrisi, 1562. First Moleto edition, based on the translation by Pirckheimer, the maps being restrikes from the Ruscelli Venice (Italian) edition of 1561. Notably, this edition includes Ruscelli’s double hemisphere world map, the rare world sea chart 'Carta Marina Nuova’, and a version of the 1558 Zeno map of the Arctic (which quickly became established as the standard map of the Arctic and Greenland for many years). In all, our edition contains 3 world maps, 27 maps of Europe, 9 of Africa, 19 of Asia, and 6 of the Americas. Moleto’s juxtaposition of traditional Ptolemaic maps with contemporary ones offers an iconic insight into the early-modern dialectics in the representation of the world. Alden-L. 562/25; Nordenskiold 217; Phillips Atlases 372; Sabin 66489; Shirley BL T.PTOL-10c; see Shirley World 110-111. 3 parts in one volume, 4to (218 x 150mm), with woodcut device to title, 64 double-page engraved maps, numerous woodcut illustrations to text (title gently washed with erasure of a stamp, remounted and partly laid down, maps skilfully remounted, very light waterstaining to the inner upper corner of the last 20 maps, occasional soiling to margins). Early 19th-century red morocco gilt, gilt borders to sides with lyre centre-pieces, flat spine lettered and tooled in gilt, all edges gilt (rebacked, with the original spine laid on, corners worn, a few scuffs to the sides). Provenance : a few early ink annotations – ‘C. Grisson’ (oval stamp to front free endpaper) – evidence of removed stamp on first and last page – evidence of removed bookplate to the front paste-down.