Magini - Primum Mobile - 1609

THE MAN WHO WANTED TO MEASURE THE SKY: COPERNICUS AND KEPLER'S MASTERPIECE OF ASTRONOMY
A monumental astronomical treatise by the Bologna-born mathematician and cosmographer Giovanni Antonio Magini, one of the most authoritative figures in European science between the late XVI and early XVII centuries. Primum Mobile represents the most complete synthesis of his astronomical researches and constitutes one of the great texts of pre-Galilean cosmology. Originally published in 1604 and here presented in the rare second edition of 1609, the volume tackles the fundamental problems of the motion of the stars, celestial coordinates, astronomical calculation, and the construction of the tables necessary for observation and prediction of celestial phenomena. Magini occupies an original position in the cosmological debate of his time: an admirer of Copernicus, a correspondent of Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, he developed his own geocentric system which sought to reconcile astronomical observation and mathematical tradition. The magnificent copper-engraved frontispiece by Oliviero Gatti and the imposing technical apparatus make this work one of the most important Italian astronomical books of the early seventeenth century.
MARKET VALUE
Magini’s major astronomical works are sought after by collectors of the history of science as well as by scholars of Renaissance astronomy. Complete copies of the second edition of 1609 generally fetch between €1,500 and €3,000, with higher results for particularly fresh, complete copies well preserved in contemporaneous binding.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Three parts in one volume. Contemporary brown leather binding with four spine nerves, gilded decoration and a red morocco label, red sprinkled edges. Losses at the top of the spine, worn corners. Frontispiece illustrated in copperplate engraving by Oliviero Gatti, numerous diagrams and astronomical figures engraved in wood in the text. Pages with some browning and physiological foxing, traces of damp, a few woodworm holes, stains and minor defects. In old books with a multi-century history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (4); 16 nn; 580; 364; 30; 2 nn; (4).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Primum Mobile duodecim libris contentum. Tabulae Generales ad Primum Mobile spectantes. Magnus Canon Mathematicus.
Bononiae, Apud Io. Bapt. Bellagambam, Apud Haeredes Ioannis Rossii, 1609.
Giovanni Antonio Magini.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Primum Mobile is one of the most important astronomical treatises published in Italy at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The title echoes the Aristotelian and Ptolemaic concept of the external sphere that communicates motion to all the lower heavens, yet the work tackles much broader problems, including theoretical astronomy, applied mathematics, spherical trigonometry, and observational techniques. Magini develops a sophisticated cosmology that sits within the great debate among the Ptolemaic system, the Copernican system, and the Typhonic model. Although not fully embracing heliocentrism, he recognized the importance of Copernican innovations and maintained intense scholarly relations with several of Europe’s leading astronomers. The volume stands as an exceptional testimony to the historical moment when medieval cosmology was yielding to modern science.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Giovanni Antonio Magini (1555-1617) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer and physician. Professor of mathematics at the University of Bologna, he became one of the most famous Italian scientists of his time. He maintained correspondence with Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler and numerous European scholars. He is also known for producing the first great geographic atlas of Italy and for his famous astrological ephemerides, used for decades by astronomers, navigators and astrologers. His scientific activity is placed in the delicate transition between Renaissance cosmology and the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Primum Mobile appeared for the first time in Bologna in 1604 and was immediately recognized as one of the most important astronomical works of its time. This second edition of 1609 testifies to the success and dissemination of the treatise in European scientific circles. The work circulated among astronomers, mathematicians, astrologers and university scholars, contributing to the spread of the most advanced techniques of astronomical calculation. Complete copies preserved in their original bindings are today increasingly rare on the international antiquarian market.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Riccardi, Biblioteca matematica italiana, II, coll. 78-84.
Houzeau & Lancaster, Bibliographie générale de l’Astronomie, n. 2857.
Adams, Catalogue of Books Printed on the Continent of Europe, M-57.
Cantamessa, Inventario dei libri italiani del XVII secolo, sezione Magini.
WorldCat, censimenti internazionali dell'edizione del 1609.
ICCU / OPAC SBN, localizzazioni italiane.
Treccani, voce "Magini, Giovanni Antonio".
Dictionary of Scientific Biography, voce "Magini, Giovanni Antonio".
Thorndike, A History of Magic and Experimental Science, vol. VI.
Gingerich, The Eye of Heaven: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler.
Cinti, Bibliografia Galileiana, per il contesto astronomico italiano del primo Seicento.