CHAVES, Hieronymo de (1523-1574)
Chronographia ò reportorio de los tiempos el mas copioso y preciso que hasta ahora ha salido a luz
Seville: Juan Guitierrez, 1561. Small quarto. (8 1/8 x 5 7/8 inches). [9], 219 leaves. Letterpress title with woodcut surround and integral woodcut portrait of the author, 67 woodcut illustrations (including a map of the New World on the verso of leaf i4, woodcut map of Eastern Hemisphere on the verso of leaf i1, 7 personifications of the planets, 12 of the zodiac stars, 1 full-page figure of a man showing the areas of influence of the stars on the body; 39 images connected with lunar and solar eclipses), numerous 4- and 6-line decorative woodcut initials. (Tears to to outer blank margin of title, g4 with early deletion in ink and resultant small hole, v1 with section of lower blank margin torn away).
Contemporary limp vellum, yapp fore-edges, leather ties (small tears to spine, vellum crinkled, three ties replaced)
Provenance: Episcopal Library, Cordoba, Spain (inscription at head of title "De la Biblioteca Episcopal de Cordoba"); Jesuit College, Cordoba, Spain (inscription at foot of title "Del Collegio de la compa. de [Holy Monogram] de Cordova", early ink stamp on verso, occasional marginalia); Andres Ramos (inscription "Connegido segun il Expuzgar de 1707 / Andres Ramos" on leaf following title)
The extremely rare fourth edition of Chaves's important early work on chronography and astronomy, featuring an early map of the New World.
The first three editions were all printed in Seville, and published in 1548, 1550 and 1554. Chaves was a distinguished mathematician, cosmographer, and poet living in Seville, and the first occupant of the chair for cosmography at the Casa de Contractacion. He was one of the first cosmographers to publish a map of the New World, appearing on the verso of leaf 68 in this edition. Chaves's New World map is an early and notable map of North and South America. Burden notes that the map "does show knowledge of some of the latest geographical findings; the Gulf of California and Cartier's expeditions in Canada. The Yucatan is correctly shown as a peninsula." The map is surrounded by twelve named windheads. The map of the Eastern Hemisphere names the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The illustrations include several representations of solar eclipses with their future dates of occurrence up until 1600, as well as astrological symbols (with attendant tables). European Americana states that the first Gutierrez edition printed in Seville appeared in 1566, inexplicably neglecting to note the present edition. The present edition is listed in Palau, who also locates a copy in the British Museum that is without a date but is assumed to be 1561. OCLC and NUC together locate only four additional copies of this 1561 edition, at the University of Arizona, Dartmouth, Indiana University, and the John Carter Brown Library. Very rare, and with an important map.
Adams C-1422; BM STC (Spanish), p.23; Burden 15; JCB 1:211; Medina (BHA) 186; Palau 67452; OCLC 2471493; Shirley 86A.
Item #19430
Price: $35,000.00