‎POMPONIUS MELA‎
‎De situ orbis ‎

‎Cosmographia, sive de situ orbis.‎

‎Venice, Erhard Ratdolt, 18 Juillet 1482. 1482 1 vol. in-8° (218 x 158 mm) de : [1] f. (dont carte du monde gravée et rehaussée en frontispice), [46] ff. (Titre en rouge, grandes et petites lettrines gravées sur bois). Nombreuses annotations manuscrites d'époque à l'encre brune dans les marges. Plein vélin ancien, tranche-fils traversant les coiffes, traces de lacets, titrage à l'encre brune. (Salissures et défauts d'usage).‎

‎Première édition illustrée du tout premier ouvrage latin consacré à la géographie, seule édition incunable à contenir les deux traités du célèbre géographe romain. Pomponius Mela, qui écrivait aux alentours de 43, est le plus ancien géographe romain connu. Il donna une description qui couvre le monde connu des Gréco-Romains. On ne sait rien de lui, sinon son nom et son lieu de naissance qu'il indique lui-même, la petite ville de Tingentera ou Cigentera dans la province de Bétique, dans la baie d'Algésiras. On date sa vie de la période de l'empereur Claude par déduction des indications géographiques qu'il donne dans ses ouvrages : la désignation de la ville d'Afrique romaine sous le nom de Césarée, nom que lui donna Juba II sous Auguste ainsi que la référence qu'il fait à Cornélius Népos, écrivain décédé sous le règne d'Auguste. Le triomphe qui fait suite à la conquête de la Bretagne en 424, ne peut être que celui de Claude en vu de la remarque précédente. Pomponius Mela est lauteur qui présente le tableau le plus complet de létat de la géographie vers le milieu du Ier siècle de lère chrétienne. Son présent ouvrage est écrit dans un style typiquement latin et agrémenté çà et là de métaphores. En dehors des chapitres géographiques de l'Histoire naturelle de Pline l'Ancien (où Mela est cité comme une référence importante), le De situ orbis est le seul traité sur le sujet en latin classique. La carte du monde reliée en frontispice, gravée sur bois, d'inspiration Ptolémaïque, fut la seconde carte à être imprimée en Italie (Campbell p.119). Elle montre l'Europe, l'Asie et la partie nord de l'Afrique, avec le Nil représenté avec comme sources dans deux lacs, l'un directement sur l'équateur, et l'autre juste au sud de celui-ci. Ces lacs se sont recoupés avec ceux que l'on appelle maintenant le lac Albert et le Victoria Nyanza, montrant que leur emplacement était supposé, sinon connu des géographes, au moins quatre siècles avant leur découverte tardive. Au sud, des rivières qui montent des montagnes et s'écoulent dans ces lacs, le Niger en Afrique de l'Ouest sont également représentées. Cette carte est aussi la première à représenter la connaissance portugaise de lépoque de la côte ouest de l'Afrique qui conduit six ans plus tard au franchissement du Cap de Bonne-Espérance. Campbell suggère que l'imprimeur de l'édition, Erhard Ratdolt, pourrait avoir été le cartographe, puisque ceci et sa carte T-O de 1480 sont les deux premières cartes de gravure sur bois imprimées en Italie. Cette carte sera copiée pour une édition de Salamanque ainsi que pour la Chronique de Nuremberg de Schedel. Première édition de la traduction en vers de Priscianus du De situ orbis de Dionysius; lédition de Ratdolt est la seule édition incunable à contenir les deux traités géographiques. Lexemplaire présente de nombreuses annotations manuscrites contemporaines dans ses larges marges. Bel exemplaire de cet ouvrage de toute rareté. 1 vol. 8vo (218 x 158 mm) of: [1] f. (including engraved and enhanced world map as frontispiece), [46] ff. (Title in red, large and small initials engraved on wood). Numerous period handwritten annotations in brown ink in the margins. Full old vellum, thread cutting through the caps, traces of laces and titling in brown ink. (Dirt and defects of use). First illustrated edition of the very first Latin work devoted to geography, the only incunable edition to contain the two treatises of the famous Roman geographer. Pomponius Mela, who wrote around 43, is the oldest known Roman geographer. He gave a description that covers the known world of the Greco-Romans. Nothing is known of him, except his name and place of birth which he indicates himself, the small town of Tingentera or Cigentera in the province of Betic, in the bay of Algeciras. His life is dated from the period of the Emperor Claudius by deduction of the geographical indications he gives in his works: the designation of the city of Roman Africa under the name of Caesarea, name given by Juba II under Augustus. the reference he makes to Cornelius Nepos, a writer who died in the reign of Augustus. The triumph that follows the conquest of Brittany, which can only be that of Claude seen the previous remark and dates from 424. Mela is the author who presents the most complete picture of the state of geography in the middle of the first century of the Christian era. His present work is written in a typical Latin style and embellished with metaphors. Apart from the geographical chapters of the Natural History of Pline the Elder (where Mela is cited as an important reference), De situ orbis is the only treatise on the subject in classical Latin. The modified Ptolemaic map of the World was the second map to be printed in Italy (Campbell p.119). It shows Europe, Asia and the northern part of Africa, with the Nile represented with taking sources in two lakes, one directly on the equator, and the other just south of it. These lakes intersected with those now known as Lake Albert and Victoria Nyanza, showing that their location was supposed, if not known to geographers, at least four centuries before their belated discovery. To the south, rivers that rise mountains and flow into these lakes, Niger in West Africa is also represented. It is also the first map to represent the Portuguese knowledge of the time of the west coast of Africa which leads six years later to cross the Cape of Good Hope. Campbell suggests that the publisher, Erhard Ratdolt, might have been the cartographer. This map will be copied for an edition of Salamanca as well as for Schedel's Nuremberg Chronicle. First edition of Priscianus' translation of Dionysius's De situ orbis; the Ratdolt edition is the only incunable edition to contain the two geographical treatises. The copy has many contemporary handwritten annotations in its large margins. Fine copy of this book of any rarity.‎

‎Melas Pomponius. Narrative Geography. De situ orbis. In 2 Volumes In Latin (ask‎

‎Melas Pomponius. Narrative Geography. De situ orbis. In 2 Volumes In Latin (ask us if in doubt)/Pomponiy Mela. Opisatelnaya geografiya. De situ orbis. V 2 tomakh In Latin and Greek Leiden 1748. We have thousands of titles and often several copies of each title may be available. Please feel free to contact us for a detailed description of the copies available. SKUalb43b3adde926df6cc‎

‎De situ orbis libri III. Cum notis integris Hermolai Barbari, Petri Joannis Olivarii, Fredenandi Nonni Pintiani, Petri Ciacconii, Andrea Schotti, Isaci Vossi, & Jacobi Gronovii. Accedunt Julii Honorii Oratoris excerpta cosmographiae. Cosmographia falso aethicum auctorem præferens cum Varis Lectionibus ex MS. Ravennatis anonymi geographia ex MS. Leideinsi suppleta. curante Abrahamo Gronovio.‎

‎Lugduni Batavorum (Leyde), Ex officina Samuelis Luchtmans, 1722. In-8 de [80]-811-[37]p. demi-vélin, dos lisse, non rogné. ‎

‎Frontispice gravé, une carte dépliante et nombreuses figures in-texte. Mela est le plus ancien géographe romain. Hormis le fait qu'il était originaire de la province de Bétique, dans la baie d'Algésiras, et qu'il écrivait aux alentours de 43, on ne sait rien de lui. En dehors des chapitres géographiques de l'Histoire naturelle de Pline l'Ancien (où Mela est cité comme une référence importante), le De situ orbis (ou De chorographia) est le seul traité sur le sujet en latin classique. La carte figure le monde selon Mela. Accident au ba du dos. ‎

‎De situ orbis libri III. Cum notis integris Hermolai Barbari ... Accedunt Petri Joannis Nunnesii Epistola de Patria Pomponii Melae, & Adnotata in prooemium, atque duo priora Capita Libri I. Et Jacobi Perizonii Adnotationes ad Libri I. Capita septemdecim.‎

‎Leiden, Samuel Luchtmans et filius, 1748. 8vo (200 x 130 mm). Mit gest. Frontispiz, 1 gest. und mehrfach gefalteten Weltkarte sowie 43 Kupfern im Text. [10] Bl., 545 S., 1 Bl. (Zwischentitel), 547-1081 S., [27] Bl. Pergamentband d. Z. ‎

‎The first latin work on geography, here edited by the Dutch philologist Abraham Gronovius (1695-1775). The Spaniard Pomponius Mela wrote his description of the world (known as De chorographia or De situ orbis) about AD 44. It remained influential until the Reanaissance and its voyages of explorations. This Leiden edition also contains the commentraries of Pedro Juan Nuñez and Jacob Perizon. - Few notes by an old hand in the first fly-leaf. - Contemporary vellum, with ms. title on head of spine. Provenance: Bookplate of the Viennese economist Franz PollackParnau (1903-1981).‎

‎Pomponii Melae De situ orbis libri III. Cum notis integris Hermolai Barbari, Petri Joannis Olivarii, Fredenandi Nonii Pintiani, Petri Ciacconii, Andreae Schotti, Isaci Vossii, & Jacobi Gronovii. Accedunt Julii Honorii oratoris Excerpta Cosmographiae. Cosmographia falso Aethicum auctorem praeferens, cum variis lectionibus ex MS. Ravennatis Anonymi Geographia, ex MS. Leidensis suppleta, curante Abrahamo Gronovio. ‎

‎Leiden (Lugduni Batavorum), Ex officina Samuelis Luchtmans, 1722. ‎

‎8vo. (LXXX),811,(36 index),(1 blank) p., frontispiece, folding map. Vellum 21 cm Prize copy (Ref: STCN ppn 238632024; Schweiger 2,611; Brunet 4,801; Dibdin 2,356; Graesse 5,402/403; Ebert 13632; Spoelder p. 683, Utrecht 3) (Details: Prize copy of the 'Gymnasium Hieronymianum' at Utrecht, without the prize. Gilt coat of arms of Utrecht within gilt borders on both boards. 6 thongs laced through the joints. The frontispiece, designed by H. van der My and etched by F. Bleyswyck, depicts a cartographer drawing a map of the world, in the foreground 2 women, one is a cartographer inspecting a map with rule and compass, the other is an archaeologist busy inspecting ancient treasures. Title printed in red and black. The folding map of the earth according to Mela at the beginning of the text is by 'P. Bertius, christianissimi regis geographus'. Engraved text illustrations of coins. 1 full page illustration of 2 sculptured scenes from reliefs 'in hortis Mattheis' (p. 117) The first 304 pages contain the text and commentary. The rest of the book is filled with the annotations of earlier important scholars, especially Isaac Vossius. His observationes fill the pages 316-606. At the end we find Julius Honorius' 'Excerpta quae ad Cosmographiam pertinent' (p. 685-702), the 'Cosmographia antehac temere Aetico adscripta' (p. 703-733), and the 'Ravennatis Anonymi Geographiae libri quinque' (737-811)) (Condition: Binding slightly soiled. Prize gone. All four ties gone. Name on the front flyleaf. Prize removed) (Note: Pomponius Mela, a geographer from the South of Spain, wrote in 43/44 under Claudius the first surviving work on geography in Latin. Pomponius is foremost a writer: distances, directions and other useful information for sailors or travellers is lacking. His work was meant for the educated and curious Roman public. The work was known in the Middle Ages, and in the following centuries he was read at school. The Dutch classical scholar Abraham Gronovius, 1695-1775, acted as librarian at Leyden University from 1741 until his death. He edited editions of the 'Historiae Philippicae' of Justinus, and two editions of Aelianus. He showed interest in geographical matters, and published at Leiden in 1739 his 'Varia Geographica'. He based this new 'Variorum' edition of the geographer Mela Pomponius on an edition which was previously published in 1696 by his father Jacobus Gronovius, 1645-1716, who was professor Greek of the Unverstiy of Leiden) (Provenance: On the front flyleaf in ink: 'Ex praemiis P.G. v. Poolsum 1731'. We found a Petrus Georgius van Poolsum, born in Utrecht in 1718, who became minister of the protestant church of Doorn in 1741. He died in 1772. Does the inscription mean that young Van Poolsum, age 13, received this prize in 1731? This seems possible, for he has the right age and was from Utrecht. Spoelder signals 3 copies of prizes with this type of coat of arms; they were awarded between 1689 and 1711) (Collation: pi1, *-5*8; A-3G8 (leaf 3G8 verso blank) (Photographs on request) ‎