Scaliger on Arabic star names

Manilius, M[arcus]. Astronomicon. A Iosepho Scaligero ex vetusto codice Gemblacensi infinitis mendis repurgatum.

Leiden, ex Officina Plantiniana, apud Christophorum Raphelengium (für Johann Commelin [in Heidelberg]), 1600.

Small 4to (142 x 188 mm). 2 parts in one volume. (32), 131, (5) pp. (20), 510, (2) pp. With two identical printer's devices and several woodcut diagrams in the text. 19th century red morocco with giltstamped fillets to spine and covers. Gilt inner dentelle. All edges gilt.

 2,500.00

Third edition of Scaliger's famous recension of this instructional poem on astronomy written in the first century. "[Scaliger's] penetrating scholarship and powerful gift of analysis were magisterially demonstrated in his edition of one of the most difficult of Latin texts, the 'Astronomica' of Manilius, and this was a forerunner to his greatest work [namely 'De emendatione temporum']" (PMM, p. 59f.). The commentary (pp. 473-510, with letterpress Arabic) contains one of the earliest European studies of Arabic star names ("De quarundam stellarum arabicis appellationibus"). This edition was first published by Estienne in 1579; the first part of the present edition had already appeared in the previous year (cf. Adams M 364, Graesse IV, 364 & Houzeau/L. 1037).

Binding professionally repaired at extremeties. Rebound in the 19th century, trimming the edges fairly closely, touching some of the diagrams. Modern endpapers. Occasional light brownstaining; insignificant waterstain to gutter of first few leaves and outer margins. A few early annotations in brown ink. Title has stamp of St Hugh's Charterhouse, Parkminster (West Sussex).

References

Adams M 365. Caillet 7076. Ebert 12943. Houzeau/Lancaster 1037. Riccardi I2, 93, 12. Schweiger II.2, 590 (with erroneous collation). Cf. Wolf 189b; Zinner 3387 (1590 ed.). PMM 98 (note).