Regiomontanus, Joannes (Johann Müller)

Kalendarium magistri Ioannis de Mo[n]teregio [Calendar]

      Erhard Ratdolt, Augsburg 1499 - A very rare incunable edition of one of the most important astronomical works of 15th century. BINDING, COLLATION, ETC: Quarto (207 mm x 145 mm). Bound in modern full vellum over boards (boards paneled in blind with small gilt fleuron corner-pieces), two pairs of silk ties. Unfoliated; 30 (of 30) unnumbered leaves (but forming 28 physical leaves = 56 pages). The last four leaves, printed on one side only (c9v, c10r, c11v and blank c12r), are pasted together (as intended) to form 2 double-thick leaves with full page woodcuts of instrument on each of the four pages. Signature collation: a10 b8 c12. Leaf c8 is blank and genuine, but misbound at the end (after quire c). COMPLETE, but without the moveable volvelle and the brass pointer on diagrams of instruments. Printed in gothic type. Fifteen fine black-on-white decorative initials of various sizes. Title printed in red in large gothic type on a1, with a laudatory poem on verso. Calendar tables printed in red and black; 30 DIAGRAMS OF ECLIPSES on leaves b4v-b6v also IN BLACK AND RED. FOUR FULL PAGE WOODCUT DIAGRAMS OF ASTRONOMICAL INSTRUMENTS on last four pages. Colophon on c7v. CONDITION: Lacking the volvelles and the brass pointer, otherwise complete and Very Good copy. Light browning, marginal foxing and/or finger-soiling, second plate of instruments with 3 small holes caused by the brass pointer, some contemporary manuscript annotations, including an ink drawing of three circular diagrams to bottom margin of a2r. Outer margins of some leaves ruled in ink. ADDITIONAL NOTES: According to the British Museum Catalogue (BMC XV cent. II, p. 389-390), this 1499 Latin edition of Regiomontanus' perpetual calendar is 'a page for page reprint of the 1496 issue.' It is illustrated with thirty woodcut diagrams of the lunar and solar eclipses for the years 1497 - 1530 printed in red and black, as well as four full page woodcuts of astronomical instruments. ISTC locates only four copies of this edition in the US. Outstanding German mathematician and astronomer Johannes Müller von Königsberg (1436-1476), known by his Latin pseudonym Regiomontanus, first printed his Kalendarium at the press he established at his own house in Nuremberg to disseminate scientific literature. The Kalendarium was an epoch-making work: it was the first application of the advanced methods of astronomical calculation and observation to the production of a perpetual calendar (including calculation of Easter) and the accurate prediction of eclipses. REFERENCES: Goff R-100; Hain 13783; Klebs 836.9; Proctor 1912 ; BMC II, 389; CIBN R-66; Schreiber 4380; Zinner 732. [Attributes: Hard Cover]