SACRO BOSCO Johannes de Sphaera Mundi cu[m] tribus commentis nuper editis. [Commentaires de] Cicchi Esculani, Francisci Capuani, de Mandfredonia, Jacobi Fabri Stapulensis. [Suivie de :] PEURBACH, Georg. Theoricae novae planetarum. [Commentaire de] Franciscus Capuanus.

Goff, J-419 ; BMC, V, 524 ; Sander, 6666 ; Essling, 263 ; CIBN, J-278.

First edition with all the commentaries of these two important astronomical works.

The appearance together of the Sacrobosco and Peurbach illustrates the conscious effort at reshaping traditional astronomy during the 15th century. The Sphaera mundi had been the fundamental astronomic text of the Middle Ages and was usually accompanied by Gerard de Cremona’s more detailed Theorica Planetarum.

Peurbach’s Theoricae novae planetarum, completed in 1454, was written to replace the old text of Gerard which contained many aberrations and errors. The two texts – Sacrobosco and Peurbach – represented the standard school edition and common text by 1480’s and 1490’s. It is known that Copernicus read and annotated a copy of this edition while studying at the University of Padua from 1501-1503.

“Sacrobosco’s fame rests firmly on his De sphaera, a small work based on Ptolemy and his Arabic commentators, published about 1220 and antedating the De sphaera of Grosseteste. It was quite generally adopted as the fundamental astronomy text, for often it was so clear that it needed little or no explanation… During the Middle Ages the De sphaera enjoyed great renown, and from the middle to the thirteenth century it was taught in all schools of Europe. In the sixteenth century it gained the attention of mathematicians, including Clavius. As late as the seventeenth century it was used as a basic astronomic text… After Manilius’ Astronomica, The Sphere was the first printed book on astronomy (Ferrara 1472)” (DSB, XII, 61-62).

The commentators are also notable. Cecco d’Ascoli, professor of astrology and rival of Dante, was burned at the stake in Florence in 1327. Faber Stapulensis was the leading spirit of French Pre-Reformation humanism. Peurbach’s treatise is accompanied by the commentary of Francisco Capuano who was one of the most eminent Italian astronomers and mathematicians of his time.

This copy has the rare last leaf which is blank except for the printed title to Peurbach’s treatise.

Some of the diagrams in the Peurbach appear here for the first time.

A fine and crisp copy, well preserved.