[Cosmographia, sive, De situ orbis].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mela, Pomponius.

Contributor:

Castaldi, Panfilo, 15th century, printer.

Lakeside Press (Chicago, Ill.), binder.

Incunable Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Standardized Title:

De chorographia

Language:

Latin

Subjects (All):

Geography, Ancient--Early works to 1800.

Geography, Ancient.

Genre:

Incunabula.

Physical Description:

61 unnumbered leaves (the last two leaves blanks) ; 19 cm (4to)

Other Title:

Cosmographia

De situ orbis

Text begins: Orbis situm dicere aggredior impeditu[m] opus & facu[n]diae minime capax ...

Explicit of text: Pomponii Mellae Cosmographiae liber explicit ...

Fingerprint:

cær. ride munt diro (C) 1471 (T)

Place of Publication:

Mediolani : [Pamfilo Castaldi], Septimo Kalendas Octobres Millessimo quadringentessimo septuagessimo primo [25 Sept. 1471]

Notes:

Title from ISTC.

Printer's name from ISTC; place and date of printing from explicit on leaf [h]2v, which reads: Pomponii Mellae cosmographiae liber explicit : Mediolani septimo kalendas octobres Millessimo quadringentessimo septuagessimo Primo.

Chancery quarto. Leaf [a]2r: 22 lines; area of text: 125 x 81 mm. Initial spaces; spaces for Greek words. Without signatures, foliation or catchwords.

Signatures: [a]-[d]⁸ [e]¹⁰(-[e]10) [f]-[g]⁸ [h]⁴ (leaves [h]3 and [h]4 blanks).

BM 15th cent. records a different signature statement ([a]-[e]⁸ [f]¹⁰(-[f]10) [g]⁸ [h]⁴) and notes that "[i]n some copies the fourth quire, in others the fifth quire contains nine leaves, while the sixth has the normal number of eight leaves." (E.g. GW records: [a]-[c]⁸ [d]⁹ [e]-[g]⁸ [h]⁴.)

Local Notes:

Leaf size: 185 x 128 mm.

Penn Libraries copy: rubrication: leaf [a]1r has elaborate illuminated floriate border (tail margin excised) with illuminated coat of arms(?) at center of head margin (red- and gold-bordered shield with Noah's ark in brown on green water surrounded by three red flowers with green stems); 1 4-line illuminated initial (gold on red, blue and brown with white accents) on leaf [a]1r; 1 3-line illuminated initial (gold on red and blue with white accents) on leaf [c]5v; first letter of caption title on leaves [a]4r and [b]4v illuminated in gold and colored in red; first letter of proper names in text intermittently highlighted in red; some line-fillers in red, red and gold, or red, blue and gold.

Penn Libraries copy has some early ms. marginal annotations and a few marks in text; Greek words have not been supplied.

Penn Libraries copy has modern ms. signature mark ("a"-"h") in pencil on the first leaf of each gathering; modern ms. pagination in pencil in head outer corner of rectos of leaves.

Penn Libraries copy bound by The Lakeside Press, Chicago, Ill., in half gold-ruled black morocco over green cloth; 5 raised bands on spine; brief title ("COSMOGRAPHIA"), author's surname ("MELA") and imprint date ("1471") stamped in gold on spine; gold-tooled spine panels; green endpaper; binder's name stamped in gold on tail turn-in of left board; all edges gilt.

Penn Libraries copy imperfect: leaves [h]3 and [h]4 (blanks) wanting.

Penn Libraries copy: tail margin of leaf [a]1 excised and replaced with a blank leaf; leaves cropped at all margins with damage to ms. marginalia.

Penn Libraries copy: lower portion of leaves dampstained.

Penn Libraries copy has hole in upper portion of leaves [a]2-[a]3 with minor damage to text; wormhole in tail margin of leaves [d]5-[e]6 (mended on leaves [d]7-[e]6); wormholes in fore-edge and tail margins of leaves [f]1-[h]2 (mended in tail margin on leaves [g]3-[h]2); wormholes in head margin of leaves [f]3-[h]2; wormholes in upper portion of leaves [f]7-[h]2 with occasional minor damage to text.

Cited in:

Goff M-447

BM 15th cent. VI, p. 699 (IA.25906)

GW M34861

BN cat. des incun. M-279

Walsh, J.E. 15th cent. printed books, 3036

ISTC im00447000

OCLC:

53854785