TOLOMEO, Claudio (100-170) - La geografia già tradotta di Greco in Italiano da Ruscelli - Discorso di M. Gioseppe Moleto - Espositioni et introduttioni universali di Girolamo Ruscelli. Venice: Girolamo Ruscelli, 1574-73.   Third edition of Ruscelli's translation of Ptolemy's revised and corrected by Giovanni Malombra after the first published in octavo in 1548. The present edition derives from the Venetian one of 1561 and the maps are the same, with the exception of Ptolemy's world map, for which Malomba had taken up Ptolemy's original conical projection; instead, the map of the ''Territory of Rome'' is added for the first time. Ruscelli's translation introduces the important innovation of dividing the world map into two parts, one for the Old World and one for the New, as visible in the ''Tavola Universal'' which depicts the two hemispheres. The edition contains 27 Ptolemaic maps and 38 new maps; among the most important maps are the ten dedicated to the Americas including those of Tierra Nueva with Tierra del Bacalaos and Tierra del Labrador, the map of Brazil, the island of Cuba and Santo Domingo and the map of Nueva Hispana which correctly depicts the Yucatan peninsula and lists the names of the places explored by Pineda, Cabeza de Vaca and Moscosso.   3 parts in one volume, 4to (218 x 156mm). Printer's device on titles, numerous illustrations and woodcut diagrams, 65 engraved geographical maps including the "Tavola Universal" planisphere, followed by maps numbered 1-37 from Espositioni and maps 1-27 from Discorsi, maps on guards, with all final blanks; bound differently than the collation reported in SBN, but complete (some browning, foxing, soiling and occasional staining, wormtraces in text from O3-Q2 and in some of the maps, but fortunately not in the more important ones: the maps affected with some small loss go from the map of Natolia n. 24 to that of Arabia Felice n.28, and from the map of Libya or Africa n. 12 to that of Asia n. 16, some other occasional isolated wormhole, some maps with weak imprint and about to become loose). Later vellum, manuscript title on spine, blue speckled edges (some chipping and minor wear). Provenance: few occasional contemporary annotations (cropped).

Estimate € 2,000 - 3,000

Sold € 3,000