Provenance. 1570 Hygini (Hyginus) Fabularum Liber ab Omnium Poetarum Lectionem.. Astronomy

Rich provenance follows this wonderful renaissance work capturing the myths, geometry and observational data of the ancient world's heavens, adorned with 48 beautiful illustrations of the constellations.

The works included:

Aratus of Soli: Phaenomena; the influential didactic poem describing the stars and weather signs.

Germanicus Caesar: Latin translation of Aratus, including the Scholia (commentaries) essential for Roman astronomical study.

Leontius Mechanicus: De Constructione Arateae Sphaerae; a Greek treatise on the construction of an Aratean star globe.

Rufus Festus Avienus: Arati Phaenomena; a later Roman poetic paraphrase of the Aratean system.

Jacobus Sentinus: Humanist annotations and introductory verses that clarify the classical Latin and Greek terminology.


Joannes Lucidus: De Supplemento; mathematical and chronological tables designed to modernize the ancient data for 16th-century use.

Aratus and Sphaerae are printed in Greek-Latin parallel text.

Although the illustrator wasn't named, scholars generally attribute the 48 woodcuts of constellations to Heinrich Vogtherr the Elder, who was active in Basel at the time and shared a similar style. These blocks reflect a more modern 16th century approach to the constellations, in comparison the 15th century Ratdolt illustrations of the same work.

This is the third Basel edition of this collection of works. The first printing was in 1535 and included the editio princeps of the Fables. The works were expanded in 1549 and the 48 woodcuts were added. This 1570 edition is a reprint of the 1549 edition.

Provenance -

A Latin scholar, likely circa 16-17th century, wrote witty Latin phrases at the front and rear. The title page has an inscription warning that (roughly translated) "a fat belly does not produce subtle thoughts". At the colophon is a lengthy indictment of the Roman Church, drawing from phrases found in Graecimus by Eberhard of Bethune (13th century) and Albertus de Rosate (14th century). Adding more context, this book was printed in Basel at the height of the reformation.

The large front ex libris plate is of Sir William Stirling-Maxwell. The book is listed in his 1860 library catalogue, and he wrote (page 197), "...useful collection of ancient mythologists... Included here for the curious fragments of ancient lore and table-talk (ana) preserved in the Fabulae and the astrological traditions."

At the rear pastedown is a ticket from Stirling-Maxwell's library, assigning it to the "Ana" section.

The ex libris on the FEP is that of the noted Harvard astronomer, historian, bibliophile and author, Owen Gingerich.

Bibliographic Details -

Universal Short Title Catalogue (USTC) number 617529, 41 copies recorded in the world's finest libraries.

Physical Attributes -

Measures approx. 30.5 x 20.5 x 2.5 cm. Old repair to even older leather binding. Boards with faint blind fillets forming double borders with corner florets. Spine with five raised bands, author/title/date/Basel in gilt in compartments/at base. Edges mostly red but along fore-edge also in green (sections). USTC calls it a folio, but it might be a large quarto, but regardless, gatherings of 6. Printer's device on title page. Some initials. 48 in-text illustrations.

Pages - viii, 251, [1 - blank], [26 - Index]

Collation - a4, a-y6, z7. The z7 is odd, but the 13 leaves of y6 and z7 index equal the 26 pages of the USTC catalogue entry, so it appears complete and not missing a blank z8.

Condition -

See pictures. Old repair of even older leather binding, with a new spine and corners (but the corners are worn through exposing and wearing on pasteboard). Original leather dried and crazed (little cracks), newer repairs worn through and worn also. Some rubs to binding and spine bands also, and a light bump on the front board. Large ex libris applied to pastedown, small ex libris ticked applied to FEP. Gutter cracked.

A moisture mark occasionally from edge throughout, possibly from the application of text block edge coloring.

Text block with toning, occasional thumbing, dog-eared or chipped corner, page edge chip, fox mark, candle ember mark, errant annotation/ink mark/doodle, etc. throughout.

Title page with a handful of inscriptions, ink and graphite; trimmed slightly different from following page. 4th leaf (Index) trimmed tight at top edge. Several ink smudges on b6. Moisture mark bottom corner g and h gathering. Ink drop btm margin l3. No blank z8, if ever. Writing on colophon.

More ex libris marks/tickets on rear binder's endpaper.