Two Works on Spherical Astronomy from the Wittenberg Interpretation
Elementa Doctrinae de Circulis Coelestibus et Primo Motu. recognita et correcta.
Wittenberg: Excudebat Johannes Crato, 1569.
Full Description:
PEUCER, Kaspar. Elementa Doctrinae de Circulis Coelestibus et Primo Motu. recognita et correcta. Wittenberg: Excudebat Johannes Crato, 1569.
Early (4th?) edition. First published in 1551. With numerous woodcut diagrams in the text, including four with working volvelles in facsimile. Volvelles found on pages 91, 94, 149 and 189. Also with eight folding tables. A woodcut device on title-page and woodcut initials. Small octavo (6 1/4 x 3 3/4 inches; 159 x 95 mm). [16], 128, 145-304 pp. Mistakes in pagination, but collates complete.
[Together with]:
THEODORICUS, Sebastian. Novae Quaestiones Sphaerae, Hoc Est, De Circulis Coelestibus, Et primo mobili: in gratiam studiosae iuventutis scriptae. Wittenberg: [Johannes Crato], 1570.
Early (3rd?) edition. First published in 1564. With numerous woodcut diagrams in the text, including four with working volvelles in facsimile. Volvelles found on pages 99, 103, 141 and 193. Also with three folding tables. A woodcut device on title-page and woodcut initials. One full page woodcut plate and two full page charts in the text. Small octavo (6 1/4 x 3 3/4 inches; 159 x 95 mm). [16], 320 pp. With the original blank A8.
Two works bound together in a contemporary dated binding of German alum-tawed pigskin over wooden boards from 1576 with the initials BPM and a large portrait of a German nobleman (likely Prince Palatine Johann Friedrich II of Saxony) on the front board. The panel stamp on the back board is dated 1573 in the plate with the initials T.R. and bears the arms of Wittenberg and the two towers of the Stadtkirche. With twisted brass clasps and catches intact. All edges dyed red. A bit of worming to boards and throughout the second work. Also in the second work, the upper outer corner of leaf E5 renewed, not affecting text. Overall a very good copy of each work in an attractive binding.
Caspar Peucer and Sebastianus Theodoricus were both prominent German scholars and mathematicians based at the University of Wittenberg in the 16th century. Together, they were key figures in the Melanchthonian circle, which promoted the study of mathematics, astronomy, and classical education within a Lutheran framework. Peucer was in fact the son-in-law of Philipp Melanchthon. They were active in the Wittenberg academic scene following the work of Erasmus Reinhold, bridging the gap between classical astronomical models and new calculations.
The Wittenberg Interpretation refers to the work of astronomers and mathematicians at the University of Wittenberg in response to the heliocentric model of the Solar System proposed by Nicholas Copernicus, in his 1543 book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium. The Wittenberg Interpretation fostered an acceptance of the heliocentric model and had a part in beginning the Scientific Revolution. In 1543, Nicholas Copernicus changed the scientific world by publishing De revolutionibus orbium coelestium. This was the first time that a heliocentric model had seriously been considered, and publicised, and resulted in a slew of opinions on how the universe may work. One such place that these debates existed was the University of Wittenberg which was home to many astronomers, astrologists and mathematicians, such as Erasmus Reinhold, Philip Melanchthon, Caspar Peucer, Georg Rheticus, and Albrecht Hohenzollern. The work of such figures became known as the Wittenberg Interpretation, which historians recognise as important in fostering acceptance for the heliocentric explanation of the universe, and the wider shift of public views over time; and the beginning of the Scientific Revolution... Under the patronage of Philipp Melanchthon, who endorsed the teaching of Copernican techniques despite personal reservations about upending geocentric cosmology, Wittenberg scholars integrated elements of the model into Lutheran academic curricula, prioritizing empirical improvements in ephemerides over ontological commitments... Figures like Caspar Peucer further refined these methods... Peucer mainly cited Copernican quantitative material in order to help explain celestial motions, even though it was different from scripture, and to discuss absolute distances of the sun, moon and earth. He also utilized Copernican data to discuss eclipses and the length of the day. In Peucer’s teachings, the findings of Copernicus could not be utilized in extensive arguments because he was considered to be aligned with the theory of Aristarchus.[4] Peucer thought that Copernicanism was offensive and should not be taught in education; however, although Peucer’s views did not align with Copernican theory, he still had to teach and advised his students to consider Copernican theory because it was a scientific theory. (Wikipedia) (Westman, Robert S. (1975). "The Melanchthon Circle, Rheticus, and the Wittenberg Interpretation of the Copernican Theory". Isis. 66 (2): 165–193.)
HBS 69590.
$3,500.
Price: $3,500.00
Item #69590