JOHANNES GLOGOVIENSIS (c.1445–1507). Introductorium compendiosum in tractatum spere. Krakow: [Johannes Haller], 28 April 1506.

The earliest reference to America in a Polish printed book; first edition of an important astronomical treatise, in contemporary Bavarian binding. Glogoviensis taught at the University of Krakow from 1468 until his death in 1507, overlapping with and possibly teaching a young Nicolaus Copernicus. One year before his death, he completed this present commentary on Sacro Bosco’s Sphaera. The edition reprints Regiomontanus’ 1646 solar declination table and features many astronomical woodcuts as well as a full-page geocentric model of the heavens.

The work contains a rare reference to the discovery of the New World, not recorded by Sabin and Harrisse. Glogoviensis refers to Vespucci’s (putative) expeditions of 1501 and 1504 on the verso of leaf g2. Refuting Sacrobosco’s assertion that the torrid zones between the two tropics and the area beyond the Arctic circle are uninhabitable due to the extreme temperatures, the Glogoviensis cites the island of Trapobana (Ceylon), which is situated on the equator and yet densely populated, and continues: "And the same thing is confirmed by those who in the year 1501 and similarly in the year 1504 were sent by the King of Portugal to discover the origin of pepper and other aromatic spices. They sailed beyond the equator and saw both celestial hemispheres and their stars and they found the origin of pepper in a place which they called the New World which was hitherto unknown.”

Rare at auction, with only five sales recorded in the past century (RBH). Alden-Landis 506/6; Bibliographia Polonica 10; Houzeau-Lancaster I, 2339 ("fort rare").

Quarto (214 × 150mm). Astronomical woodcuts throughout, full-page cosmographical model, full-page solar declination table (small hole through first quire affecting text on a2–3, occasional small stains and wormtrails). Contemporary Bavarian blindstamped pigskin no later than 1535 (EBDB w000171 with s012745, s012744 and many unrecorded textual and floral stamps from this workshop) over contemporary wooden boards, metal catchplates and calf-mounted clasps, few untrimmed edges (spine darkened, worming through pigskin). Provenance: extensive contemporary annotations – Ludovicus Romanus (armorial bookplate dated 1575 on endpaper) – anonymous owner; Sotheby's, 5 June 2013, lot 352.