Milestones of Science Books

TAISNIER, Joannes.

De usu annuli sphaerici libri tres in quibus quicquid ad geometriae perfectionem requiritur continetur.

Palermo: apud Sanctum dominicu, 1550.

1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #002905

4to (205 x 150 mm). [2], xxix leaves, bound without the final blank. Printed in italic throughout, title-page within woodcut architectural border and full-page woodcut coat-of-arms of Charles V on verso, woodcut initials and 41 woodcut illustrations in text of which 5 are dated 1549 and 16 with the monogram 'is'. 18th-century vellum with two ties, spine gilt-decorated and with gilt-lettered brown label (binding restored, new endpapers). Text with some worming, more pronounced towards the end and repaired (affecting some letters of text and image), occasional light spotting and staining, the last 3 leaves lightly browned. Provenance: Giancarlo Beltrame Library. ----

Adams T68; Honeyman 2956. FIRST EDITION of a rare little book, of which copies are to be found in the British Library and at Harvard. The first book deals with geometry in general, the second with the spherical ring in particular, and the third its practical use by artillerymen. Part of the text appeared in Italian in Ferrara in 1548 (see Harvard Catalogue 491). Taisnier served Charles V in a number of capacities, not least that of musician, and was the author of a number of works (see Thorndike, History of magic and experimental science, V, p.580).

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