Nautica Mediterranea.

With the rare portolan chart. Second edition of this rare maritime classic, one of the first works to attempt the correction of navigational maps to account for magnetic declination. With the rare portolan chart lacking from most copies, including that in the National Archives and both copies in recent auction records (Christie's 2012 and 2016). Nautica mediterranea was first published in 1602 and reissued here with only the date on the title page altered, as the colophon bears the original date.

Portolan charts originated in the 13th century as navigational aids for sailors in the Mediterranean, and are characterised by rhumb lines, which radiate in the direction of wind or compass points to aid in laying courses between different places on the chart. Crescenzi states in this publication that, 'he has personally experienced the errors in traditional charts [caused by magnetic declination across the Mediterranean] thanks to his period as a hydrographer on the galleys of the Papal fleet (from 1588 to 1593) and other voyages made as a passenger and observer in the period 1594-95. Crescenzio argues that magnetic declination was zero in the Azores and rose gradually and uniformly from Gibralter to the eastern Mediterranean... He propose to correct this by rotating the axis eight degrees clockwise around the Azores as fixed center... The work is accompanied by a printed nautical chart, which dates from 1596 but is the result of the application of the theories subsequently outlined in detail within the 1602 publication itself' (Astengo, 'The Renaissance Chart Tradition in the Mediterranean', The History of Cartography, volume 3, pp. 196-197).

In addition to mapping, the text covers numerous other maritime maters, including the construction of galleys and nautical warfare, and includes two functioning volvelles.

Second edition; 2 parts in 1 volume, 4to (248 x 177 mm); folding portolan map, 2 volvelles, 3 engraved folding plates, engravings, woodcuts, and letterpress tables throughout the text, headpieces and decorative initials, portolan chart and final gathering of the second part mounted on a stub but with old dampstain matching the rest of the text and rear endpapers, repaired tear across a third of the portolan chart with some loss filled in, and a few other small repairs and closed tears and some spotting, Nn4 torn with loss in the lower margin not affecting the text, small worming spots in the margin from Dd2 through Ggg sometimes slightly affecting the marginal notes, Y3 and Y4 misbound after X4, spotting and dampstain; contemporary limp vellum, title in manuscript to spine, vellum worn, creased, and darkened, particularly at the spine and edges, and with some small areas of loss, marks, and spots, very good condition; 534 & 63pp.