STOEFFLER, Johann

Ephemerides

      Huldenrichum Morhart, Tubingen:: Huldenrichum Morhart,, 1531.. FIRST EDITION.. 4to.. Woodcut portrait of author on title has been ascribed to Hans Holbein the younger; title in facsimile on contemporary paper. Text woodcuts throughout. Astronomical tables for 1532-1551 with half-titles for each year. Bound in blind-tooled pigskin over boards, with clasps, in a contemporary style; a couple of preliminary and endleaves frayed at edges, light dampstains and minor browning, otherwise the text is on heavy paper and is in generally very good condition. Contemporary inscriptions on front blank, one dated 1534. The rarity of this present Ephemerides has been noted by Delambre. Brunet only knew of a reimpression of 1533. We have located copies at the Adler Planetarium and the University of Michigan; the Harvard copy is incomplete as is the University of Oklahoma's copy. Stoeffler's astronomical tables are basically a continuation of the tables of Regiomontanus.#11;#11;Johann Stoeffler (1452-1531), mathematician, astronomer and cosmographer, was professor of astronomy at Tubingen, and teacher of Melanchthon, Schoener, and Sebastian Muenster. His calendars, almanacks and astronomical tables enjoyed a great reputation throughout Europe for half a century. He was the first to show that the Julian calendar could be brought into harmony with astronomical events. In spite of all his precautions he died the very day as he had predicted in his horoscope