Schoener (Johann) Opera mathematica, 3 parts in 1, first edition, collation: ?⁶, ?⁴, A-Z⁶, Aa-Cc⁶, Dd-Ee⁸, Ff-Mm⁶, Nn⁸; a-h⁶, i⁸, including errata, colophon and final blank leaf, but lacking 2 other blanks, Roman and Greek type, title printed in red and black with two large woodcut ornaments, woodcut printer's device at end, woodcut portrait of the author on ?4v, numerous woodcuts and diagrams, 4 full-page woodcuts, including terrestrial globe, celestial globe and planisphere, complete with eleven diagrams with working volvelles (some with original threads, others sometime replaced), woodcut initials, generally very fine, wide-margined copy, title gutter reinforced, quire R lightly browned, few other leaves toned, small wear to lower blank margin of b3v, tiny wormhole in blank outer margin of last several leaves, contemporary blind-tooled pigskin over wooden boards, covers within two blind-stamped rolls, outer roll dated 1541 and depicting the Crucifixion, David, the Resurrection, and St. John, inner roll dated 1556 and showing Lucretia, Caritas, and Justicia, later stamp of Schola Altenburgensis printed in gold in centre of upper cover and in black on lower cover, some minor abrasion to binding, spine slightly chipped at head, corners lightly rubbed, folio (306 x 201mm.), Nuremberg, J. Montanus & U. Neuber, 1551.

⁂ Rare and important work with a most distinguished provenance, in excellent condition and in its strictly contemporary binding. The Honeyman copy of the first edition of the collected works by Johann Schöner, mathematician, astronomer, cartographer, and scientific instrument maker from Karlstadt, in Bavaria.

Schöner was a contemporary of Nicolaus Copernicus and in 1526 he became the first professor of mathematics at the University of Nuremberg. His most illustrious pupil was Georg Joachim Rheticus, who in the Narratio prima (1540) announced Copernicus' discoveries. Schöner was also active as a printer and even set up a press in his house, printing numerous previously unpublished works by Johannes Regiomontanus, as well as the first printed terrestrial globe to name the recently discovered continent of America.

The Opera mathematica was published posthumously by his son Andreas and is introduced by a preface by the outstanding humanist and reformer Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560). The volume contains a representative sample of Schöner's wide and diverse interests, and a digest of some of his separately published works, most of which are extremely rare. Part 3 contains the most important section, which describes and illustrates eleven instruments, under the title Aequatorium Astronomicum, ex quo errantium stellarum motus, luminarium configurationes, & defectus colliguntur, a revised and enlarged version of the work which first appeared in 1521. The Aequatorium Astronomicum contains the earliest collection of printed equatoria-diagrams, as well as a catalogue of stars adapted by Schöner from that published by Copernicus in his De revolutionibus of 1543.

The text is illustrated by an elaborate series of volvelles (movable wheel charts) used to determine planetary positions. Each part of these volvelles was printed on a separate page, such that the reader could cut them out or trace them on separate pieces of paper, and then assemble the various parts with string. These fragile 'paper instruments', which Schöner was among the first to employ, are frequently lacking or only partially present in most other copies of this work, and they are very often constructed incorrectly. This copy is exceptionally complete and includes all the volvelles, some still with their original thread.

Provenance: from the library of the Latin school in Altenburg, Germany (stamp on the binding 'Biblioth. Schol. Altenburgensis'); the English politician and book collector Sir Robert Leicester Harmsworth (1870-1937; his sale at Sotheby's London, 9 February 1953, lot 9605); Robert Honeyman IV (1897- 1987; see The Honeyman Collection of Scientific Books and Manuscripts. Volume vii. Printed Books S-Z and Addenda, Sotheby's New York, 19-20 May 1981, lot 2802A); Astronomy & Science Books from The Library of Martin C. Gutzwiller, lot 175.

Literature: Adams S-678, 685; VD16 S-3465; Alden 551/35; BEA, pp. 1027-1028; Houzeau - Lancaster 2388; Sabin 77806.