MEDINA (Pedro de). L' ART de Naviguer de M. Pierre de Medine, Espagnol. A Lyon. 1569.

MEDINA (Pedro de). L' ART de Naviguer de M. Pierre de Medine, Espagnol. A Lyon. 1569.
MEDINA (Pedro de)
L' ART de Naviguer de M. Pierre de Medine, Espagnol. Contenant toutes les reigles, secrets, & enseignemens necessaires à la bonne navigation, Traduict de Castillan en François, avec augmentation & illustration de plusieurs figures & annotations, par Nicolas de Nicolai, du Dauphiné, Geographe du Tres-chrestien Roy Henry II [...]. A Lyon: Par Guillaume Rouillè, 1569.

*4, a-z, A-F4; [8], 225, [7] pp., 1 mapa desdobrável: il.; 225 mm. Contemporary full calf; red edges; map trimmed on bottom and with small margins on top, left and right side; end papers in bad condition; a few water satins.

RARE THIRD FRENCH EDITION of one of the most important and famous navigation treatises. The first edition was also printed by Rouillé in 1554, followed by that of 1561, of which few copies are known. Pedro de Medina, nicknamed “cleric” in 1538, nevertheless dedicated himself to the study of navigation, an art that was the main occupation in Seville at that time. He worked to be appointed cosmographer, which led him to publish his 'Book of Cosmography' in 1538. In 1539 he was admitted as a pilot examiner, which also meant the possibility of making nautical instruments and drawing sea charts. As a master pilot, he then published his 'Art of Navigation', bringing together in a single volume the knowledge that the cosmographers of the Casa de Contratación taught to those who aspired to obtain a pilot's license. Composed of eight books, it begins with an exposition on the sphere, the sky, movement of the planets, circular movement of the heavens, etc. The second book describes the nature of tides and currents and includes a lunar calendar and a table for recognizing tides. The third deals with the winds and the construction of a 'portulano' type chart. The fourth contains rules and tables for determining the height of the Sun. The fifth on the various methods for aligning the polar star. The sixth about the compass and its deviations and variations. And the seventh and eighth books provide general notions about the calendar necessary for navigators, a lunar calendar, the seasons of the solar year and tables for leap years. Achieving enormous success in Europe, it had fifteen editions in French, five in Dutch, three in Italian and two in English over the course of a century. The map, sometimes described as a map of the world, is actually limited to countries bordering the Atlantic. Based on the map printed in the original edition, it has the names in French and has the same 16 radial lines centered on the line determined by the Treaty of Tordesillas.

¶ BdM2, p. 550; Sabi, 558-559