FRANCK, Sebastian

Weltbuch, spiegel und bildenis des gantzen Erdtbodens . . . inn vier bucher, namlich in Asiam, Aphricam, und Americam gestelt und abteylt . . .

      . Folio. [4], 237, [7] folios. Collates [unsigned]6, aiv, b-zvi, A-Riv, Sviii lacking the blanks Riv and Sviii, as does the BL copy. Modern blind ruled calf. Spine with raised bands and a contrasting label. Occasional light paper browning, otherwise clean and tight internally. Sabin 25469. Sebastian Franck (c.1499 – c.1543) was an important German humanist and radical reformer with close connections to the Anabaptists. He was expelled from both Strasbourg and Ulm because of his controversial writings, and eventually moved to Basel where he died c.1543. His Weltbuch was first published in Tübingen in 1534 to accompany his Chronica, Zeitbuch und Geschichtsbibel . This work was largely compiled from the Nuremberg Chronicle and exhibited Franck’s strong freethinking principles.