Title: La Cosmographie Universelle contenant la situation de toutes les parties du monde avec leurs proprietez et appurtenances, 1552
Author: Sebastian Munster
Publisher: Basel, Heinrich Petri
Condition: Poor
A mid 16th century first French edition of Munster’s Cosmographia, first printed in German and being regarded as the earliest German-language description of the world. It has been translated into several different languages, including Latin, Italian, Czech, and French, this copy being a French edition as described. This work has seen 24 editions in 100 years, being largely successful due to the striking woodcuts, including examples by Hans Holbein the Younger, Conrad Schnitt, Urs Graf, Hans Rudolph Manuel Deutsch, and David Kandel.
There are hundreds of woodcuts throughout, opening with a half page woodcut of God's creation of the heavens and the earth. Of all 14 double-page woodcut maps, Bohemia and Bavaria remain. Of all the 38 double-page woodcut views, only two and a half remain. The double page woodcut of the Sea of Monsters remains, albeit torn.
The page numbering skips from 909 to 1000, without any break in text.
The title page, as well as pages 3-4, 15-16, 19-20, 41-44, 51-54, 59-60, 79-80, 85-92, 99-102, 117-118, 133-134, 141-144, 153-160, 163-166, 189-190, 193-196, 201-204, 247-250, 257-258, 263-264, 269-270, 279-280, 363-364, 369-372, 383-384, 403-406, 409-412, 415-420, 429-432, 443-446, 479-480, 487-490, 495-498, 501-504, 509-510, 513-516, 519-522, 525-528, 551-552, 555-558, 561-566, 573-574, 579-580, 583-590, 593-598, 601-602, 611-614, 621-622, 633-634, 643-646, 681-686, 693-698, 707-708, 727-732, 735-736, 747-750, 759-764, 781-782, 789-790, 797-802, 805-806, 819-822, 825-828, 843-844, 849-852, 860-864, 873-874, 887-890, 893-896, 1007-1008, 1029-1030, 1053-1054, 1059-1060, 1097-1100, 1127-1128, 1139-1142, 1155-1156, 1161-1164, 1211-1212, 1229-1230, 1233-1234, 1237-1240, 1253-1258, 1261-1262, 1339-1340, 1355-1358, 1375-1376, 1385-1386, 1389-1390, 1421-1429 are lacking. Overall, 310 numbered pages are lacking, not including the unnumbered maps preceding the main text.
One volume in folio, 1119 of 1429 pages
This volume is in poor shape, with heavy rubbing and wear to the binding, with leather damage and peeling to the binding, especially the spine. Pages 1-2, 535, and 575-578, are detached. There are several tears to leaves, with several repairs, namely to the first and last leaves. There is wear and staining throughout. There are some page numbering errors.
This book has been relisted due to a failure on the client end to make payment.