Rare First Edition of Nicolò Simi's Ephemerides

Nicolò Simi. EPHEMERIDES NICOLAI SIMI MATHEMATICI BONONIENSIS, AD ANNOS XV INCIPIENTES AB ANNO CHRISTI MDLIIII. USQ; AD ANNUM MDLXVIII CUM MERIDIANO INCLYTAE CIUITATIS BONONIAE DILIGENTISSIMÈ COLLATAE. Venice: ex officina Erasmiana Vincentii Valgrisii, 1554. Period limp parchment with manuscript. 4to; ff. [4], 66, [208] (lacking final leaf). Roman type with italic; text in Latin. With woodcut printer's device and initials, numerous diagrams and tables. Houzeau-Lancaster 1.2/14731; Edit16 37638; USTC 856468.

9 x 6 7/8 in.

From the Collection of Professor Roberto Severino, Washington, D.C.

Nicolò Simi (Bologna, ca. 1530-1564) was a professor, mathematician, and astronomer. His ephemerides provide daily planetary positions from the year of publication through 1568 and offer numerous illustrations.

Parchment with significant age wear, with discoloration, wormholes, manuscript, chips and 1 1/2-in. tear, old label with faded manuscript on spine, lacking ties, loss at head of spine; slight separation from textblock, lacking paste-downs, first free endpaper frayed and extended, with manuscript on verso of final leaf, occasional wormholes although concentrated on first several pages; pages toned with frequent staining and damp staining, occasional soiling and small margin loss not impacting text. Extremely rare; WorldCat lists copies in only four libraries and extremely scarce at auction.