2. Leopoldus ( Duke Of Austria, 1176-1230) Compilatio...de astrorum scientia decem continens tractatus, first edition , 109 ff (of 110, lacking final blank), 40 lines, gothic letter, full-page woodcut illustration of an armillary sphere on a2, 35 large illustrations depicting the gods and constellations, 1/3-page illustrations of the 12 signs of the zodiac (plus a smaller series occurring three times), 54 half-page astronomical diagrams, of which 2 are printed in red and black , sig. d3, e6 and e7 shaved at top, just touching a few letters, slight stain on k7 with loss of a few letters, modern gilt-stamped calf “antique-style” by Aquarius, [Hain 10042; BMC II, 382, Goff L185; Zinner 364], 4to, Augsburg, Erhard Ratdolt, 9 January 1489.
est. £3000 – £4000
First edition of this medieval treatise on astrology and meteorology, based on the writings of Albumasar. The section entitled De mutatiore aeris describes the weather signs used by the peasants of the 13th century and gives general descriptions of winds, thunder etc. Ratdolt specialised in printing works on astronomy, and collaborated with the distinguished mathematician Johann Angelis.