CORTES, MARTIN

Breve compendio de la sphera y del arte de navegar: con nuevos instrumentos y reglas, exemplificado con muy subtiles demonstraciones.

CORTES, MARTIN

Breve compendio de la sphera y del arte de navegar: Con nuevos instrumentos y reglas, exemplificado con muy subtiles demonstraciones . Printer: Anton Alvarez. Seville, 27th May 1551. Size: 30 x 21 cm. With illustrations. 98 leaves (196 pages).

Printed in Seville in the XVI century, it is the work of the Aragonese cosmographer and navegator Martín Cortés, resident of Cádiz for most of his life, where he was dedicated to teaching.

This is a most particular interesting piece in Spanish scientific history and for this reason a copy was included in the Exposition Science through the Ages, which took place in the Oxford Bodleian Library some years ago. This work states the variability of magnetic declination of the compass for different places on the globe, as opposed to the generalized opinion in other works of the time. Out of recognition of its worth and interest in the XVI century comes the translation into English carried out by Richard Eden which during the XVI century had six London editions.

-Our edition: Valencia, 1996. Coedited with the Biblioteca General e Histórica de la Universidad de Valencia.

-Edition of 3.000 copies, numbered and signed by notary, and with the signature of the printer-publisher.

-Binding: Parchment on wooden board.

-Presentation case cloth lined with gold engraved leather spine containing facsimile and study in Spanish.

-Specially made laid paper.

-Study in Spanish carried out by Vicente Escartí Soriano (Professor of Philology of the University of Valencia). Included in Bibliofilia Antigua IV.