Small folio; 12 unnumbered pages, 14 double-page woodcut maps, 1,237 numbered pages including 38 double-page plates (3 of which are multi-folded) depicting views, bird's-eye city plans, and one map. Hundreds (approximately one thousand) of woodcuts of various sizes—some full-page—are interspersed throughout the text, all executed by master woodcutters of the highest caliber, such as Hans Holbein the Younger, Hans Rudolph Manuel Deutsch, and David Kandel. Contemporary limp vellum binding with a manuscript title on the spineA fine, genuine copy, notable for the censorship markings made by the Jesuits in 1596, as noted in brown ink on the title page. The woodcuts are well-printed, and the three large folding views are very well preserved. There are a few minor defects: a stain affecting the upper corner of approximately 300 pages and the end of the volume (including the rear endpapers), and some slight oxidation on a few pages. A rare Italian edition (only three editions were printed in this language) of the celebrated world chronicle—a work of immense success and wide circulation. It stands as a milestone in geographical knowledge during the second half of the 16th century, comparable in influence to the *Liber Chronicarum* (better known as the Nuremberg Chronicle, published in 1493) in the first half of the centuryMünster was born into a farming family in 1488 or 1489. He studied theology, philosophy, astronomy, religion, Hebrew, and mathematics; together with his teacher Konrad Pellikan, he lived in various cities—including Rufach, Zurich, and Heidelberg—where he oversaw the publication of numerous works on Jewish and astronomical subjects between 1523 and 1528. In 1529, he left the Franciscan Order and moved to Basel, becoming a citizen there after marrying the widow of the publisher Adam Petri and the birth of a daughterAccedi AI Mode Tutti Immagini Video Video brevi Notizie Web Altro Strumenti Italiano Inglese Quando scrisse la Cosmographia Münster aveva già pubblicato Germania descriptio (1530) e Mappa Europae (1536). Nel 1540 Münster pubblicò un'edizione latina della Geographia di Tolomeo, con carte geografiche. La Cosmographia Universalis, celebre ed enciclopedica opera, descrive sia il cielo che la terra, il testo è accompagnato da un apparato iconografico assai copioso; venne pubblicata per la prima volta nel 1544 dal noto cartografo e cosmografo tedesco (Ingelheim 1488 - Basilea 1552), professore ad Heidelberg, il quale a questo lavoro dedicò più di venti anni della sua vita con l’aiuto di 120 persone tra studiosi e artisti; stampata originariamente in tedesco ed ampliata sempre più nel corso degli anni fino a raggiungere la massima grandezza del successo tipografico nel ‘600, in diverse lingue, fra cui latino, francese (tradotta da Francois De Belleforest), italiano, inglese, ceco (ultima edizione tedesca del 1628), ebbe circa 40 edizioni in cento anni. Interessanti e curiose le vicende di storia popolare, miti e leggende narrate nei vari capitoli, come quella che si trova alla fine del II libro a pag. 257, riguardante l’assedio di Aquileia da parte di Attila: l’unno, vedendo le cicogne fuggire da Aquileia con i loro pulcini per paura che gli abitanti li mangiassero, dato che non trovavano più cibo in città, comprese che presto l’avrebbe assoggettata e invece di levare l’assedio insistendo conquistò Aquileia per fame; si riconosce nella vignetta a lato, una cicogna che sta portando via il suo piccolo. By the time he wrote the *Cosmographia*, Münster had already published *Germania descriptio* (1530) and *Mappa Europae* (1536). In 1540, Münster published a Latin edition of Ptolemy’s *Geographia*, complete with maps. The *Cosmographia Universalis*—a renowned, encyclopedic work describing both the heavens and the earth—features a vast array of illustrations; it was first published in 1544 by the celebrated German cartographer and cosmographer (born in Ingelheim in 1488, died in Basel in 1552), a professor at Heidelberg who dedicated over twenty years of his life to the project with the assistance of 120 scholars and artists. Originally printed in German, the work was steadily expanded over the years—achieving its greatest publishing success in the 17th century—and appeared in various languages, including Latin, French (translated by François de Belleforest), Italian, English, and Czech (with the final German edition appearing in 1628), spanning some 40 editions over the course of a century. The various chapters recount fascinating tales of folklore, myths, and legends; one such example appears at the end of Book II (page 257) regarding Attila’s siege of Aquileia. Upon seeing storks fleeing the city with their chicks—fearing the inhabitants might eat them as food supplies ran dry—Attila realized the city would soon fall; instead of lifting the siege, he pressed on and conquered Aquileia by starving it out. A stork carrying away its chick can be seen in the accompanying illustrationThe first book covers astronomy, mathematics, physical geography, and cartography. Book II covers England, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Savoy, and Italy. Book III covers Germany, Alsace, Switzerland, Austria, Carniola, Istria, Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Pomerania, and Prussia. Book IV covers Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey. Book V covers Asia Minor, Cyprus, Armenia, Palestine, Arabia, Persia, Central Asia, Afghanistan, India, Ceylon, Burma, China, Madagascar, Zanzibar, and the Americas. Book VI covers Mauretania, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Senegal, Gambia, Mali, South Africa, and East Africa.Burmeister: Sebastian Münster, eine Bibliographie, no. 101; Graesse IV, 622; Sabin 51380.