In 4° (230x180 mm), pp. (6), 397, (2) errata. With dozens of figures in the text, 5 are full-page including one in copperplate. Coeval binding in solid full vellum, gilt title to spine, red boards. First collective edition of 36 writings by Vossius. This work presents the result of his research in a range of fields, particularly the classical world, on which Vossius was a noted authority. Many writings are published here for the first time and touch on geographical, scientific, astronomical, naval, and military subjects. Included are remarks on ancient Rome and other important cities of the classical period such as Alexandria, Babylon, quotations on writers such as Virgil and Tertullian; still covers a variety of topics: travels to the Indies and Japan, Northeast Passage (De Patefacienda per Septentrionum ad Japonenses et Indos Navigatione), of the invention of gunpowder, moon rings and sibylline prophecies. Vossius (1618-1689), son of philologist Gerhard Johann Vossius, court librarian to Queen Maria Christina of Sweden; owned the finest private library in the world. He was one of the learned Dutch Huguenots who emigrated to England, where he became canon of Windsor. He was a great admirer of Chinese discoveries and inventions (Löwendahl). Known for his eccentricity he grew up in a scholarly family, studied ancient Greek, geography and Arabic. From 1641 he traveled around Europe, (particularly Florence), meeting scholars such as James Ussher and Hugo Grotius and beginning his own collection of manuscripts, until in 1644 he returned to his native city and became the city's librarian. When his father died in 1650, he sent his personal library to Sweden, but upon the abdication of Queen Christina he moved to England. Beautiful marginal copy, complete with the dedication to Charles II, which is missing in many copies, as it was being torn up after the king's death. Antique study annotations in brown ink in the margin of some pages. Slight and uniform browning internally. Manuscript possession note to title page. Graesse VI 2, 398; Krivatsky, 12499