Lot 2084: MÜNSTER, SEBASTIAN. 1489-1552.

Cosmographiae universalis lib. VI. Basel: Heinrich Petri, 1559.
Folio (310 x 204 mm). [24], 1162, [2] pp. Title within woodcut historiated border with portrait of Munster on verso, 14 double page woodcut maps (including two world maps and one of the Americas), numerous double-page town views (including 3 folding panoramas), large woodcut printer's device, and over 900 woodcut illustrations in text. Period vellum-covered wooden boards, raised bands, elaborate blind-tooling with borders depicting saints. Later ink annotations to New World map and to several others, later hand-coloring to title and portrait on verso and in a few other spots, lines inked to double-page view of Rome and to a few other maps in text, double page map on 662-663 shaved at fore-edge borders, tear to blank bottom edge of folding panorama of Vienna with repair at one fold, folding panorama of the Rhine wrinkled and creased, a few small stains to map of Germany, worming to final 150 leaves (heavily to final 75) and sporadically to margins, occasional staining to leaves, old dampstain affecting blank upper margin of 3 maps, binding soiled, head of spine chipped, worming to lower board and to upper board in a few spots, clasps lacking.

Fourth Latin edition of Münster's encyclopedic masterwork, in which Münster married diverse historical narratives to new geographical data gathered from over two decades of personal research, and reflecting cartographical advancements made by recent explorations. The work was enormously influential, going through 35 editions in 5 languages in the 85 years after its first publication. Muller writes of the present edition that it "differs considerably from the German editions of 1553 and 1564. The description of America is quite different, and more ample, embracing for instance the voyages of Vespucius, Magallanes, etc." The woodcut illustrations in text comprise views and plans (including several full-page); historical and allegorical figures; portraits; animals and fabulous beasts (including a double page chart of sea monsters); battles; pastoral scenes; astronomical and geographical diagrams; coats of arms; etc. Muller 2204; Sabin 51382.