Libro de instrumentos nuevos de geometria muy necessarios para medir distancias, y alturas, sin que intervengan numeros, como se demuestra en la practica. De mas desto se ponen otros tratados, com es uno, de conduzir aguas, y otro una question de artilleria, en donde se ponen algunas demostraciones curiosas.

[GARCIA] DE CESPEDES, Andres.

Published by Por Juan de la Cuesta

About this Item

Small 4°, recent tan antique calf, covers elaborately decorated in blind, spine lettered and decorated in blind with raised bands in six compartments, blind-stamped inner dentelles, text-block edges sprinkled blue-green from an earlier binding. Numerous interesting woodcut mathematical diagrams. Woodcut factotum initials; woodcut headpiece on recto of first numbered leaf. One diagram cropped at outer margin with loss of about .5 cm., due to the fact that the diagram is substantially larger than the page; two other diagrams just touched, for the same reason: this problem is almost inevitable. Very minor light spotting. In very good to fine condition. Contemporary inscription on title page: "Este libro es de P[ed]ro de Fuentes Pintor, Vno [i.e., 'vecino'?] de Vallid [i.e., 'Valladolid'?]." Old small ownership stamp on title-page and verso of final leaf. (4), 68 leaves; 4, A-R4. *** first and only edition of this important work on mathematical instruments for purposes such as hydraulics, ballistics, and other geometrical problems. It includes a description of geometrical instruments (a type of quadrant and Jacob's staff) that allow one to measure, for example, the height of a tower and the distance across a plain. It is followed by Cespedes' explanation of how the town of Burgos should have channeled water from one place to another: the city officials ignored his advice, spent considerable money on a project that failed, and then had no money to redo the project according to Cespedes' advice. Finally, there is an essay on the best range for artillery, written at the request of a lieutenant general of artillery in Lisbon, to settle a dispute between him and some colleagues.Garcia de Cespedes (d. 1611), an astronomer and mathematician, was royal cosmographer. The leaf following the title lists eleven works written by him.*** Palau 98620. Picatoste y Rodriguez 313. Ensayo de bibliografia marítima española 1240. Simón Díaz VIII-3846. Frank Streeter 220. Goldsmith, Short Title Catalogue of Spanish and Portuguese Books 1601-1700 in the Library of the British Museum G61. Perez Pastor 935. CCPBE locates sixteen copies, three of which are incomplete. Rebiun locates two copies, at Universitat de Barcelona and Universidad de Sevilla. Jisc locates copies at the British Library and the Middle Temple Library. NUC: NN, CU.

Seller Inventory # 24792

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Libro de instrumentos nuevos de geometria muy necessarios para medir distancias, y alturas, sin que intervengan numeros, como se demuestra en la practica. De mas desto se ponen otros tratados, com es uno, de conduzir aguas, y otro una question de artilleria, en donde se ponen algunas demostraciones curiosas.
• Publisher: Por Juan de la Cuesta
• Edition: 1st Edition