P HEYLYN Chorographie & Historie of the World. 2nd 1657

November 23, 2021

Rare Books, Documents, Photos, and Artwork

Lot 42

P HEYLYN Chorographie & Historie of the World. 2nd 1657

Estimate: $6,000 - $7,000

Have one like this?

About this Lot

Description

Peter Heylyn Chorographie and Historie of the Whole World. And all the principal Kingdoms, Provinces, and Seas, and Isles thereof.

Offered for sale by Trillium Antiquarian Books. For more information please contact William Van Nest at info@trilliumbooks.ca.

Peter Heylyn. Chorographie and Historie of the Whole World. And all the principal Kingdoms, Provinces, and Seas, and Isles thereof. London: Henry Seile, 1657. Second edition, revised by Heylyn shortly before his death and generally considered the best edition (pp. frontis, to the Reader, to my Brother the Author, General Introduction;1098, appendix). The first edition was published in 1652, also by Seile. Folio (33 cm) in full contemporary leather, gilt titles to spine, five raised bands, rubricated edges; additional engraved title as frontispiece, four double-page folding maps adorned with monsters of the deep, sailing vessels, quaint animals; with the bookplate of Sir Richard Beddingfeld and the autograph of John Bedingfeld (sic) and likely with the markings from that library’s collection. In four parts, each with its map: Italy, the Alpine provinces, France, Spain, and Britain; Belgium, Germanie, Denmark, Swethland, Muscovie, Poland, Hungarie, etc.; Lesser and Greater Asia; Africa; America; and, as an appendix, Terra Incognita and Terra Australis (the Southern Continent). Peter Heylyn (Heylin), 1599- 1662, sought to describe ‘in meticulous detail every aspect of the known world in 1652, the geography, climate, customs, achievements, politics, and belief systems. It appears to have been the first description in print of Australia, and perhaps of California, Terra del Fuego, and other territories in the New World’ and includes descriptions of the Arctic, Antarctica and the fabled North West Passage. The text describes exploration by Martin Frobisher, Drake and other early explorers.He objected to the name "America" as it placed undue glory on Amerigo Vespucci, and recommended "Columbana" or "Cabotia" as more indicative of the true discoverers, Columbus and Cabot (Wikipedia). As an ecclesiastic Heylyn was a disputatious monarchist who served for a while as King’s chaplain, as a geographer he was an English patriot, and through these spectacles he describes ‘the Whole World’. As he tells the reader: ‘In the pursuance of this Work.. so have I not forgotten that I am an English-man, and which is somewhat more, a Church-man. As an English-man I have been mindfull upon all occasions to commit to memory the noble actions of my Countrey; exploited both by Sea and Land, im[n] most parts of the World, and represented on the same Theaters on which they were acted.’ Several maps required minor repair. Clean, bright, and sound copy of a scarce book.

Ask a Question