Bartolomeo Scanavacca - Novissima inventione per disegnare con grandissima facilità, e prontezza Horologi Solari Italiani, - 1688

We are offering at auction a splendid original first edition from 1688 of this rare treatise on gnomonics and astronomy, entitled "Novissima inventione per dissegnare con grandissima facilità, e prestézza horologi solari, italiani, babilonici, e francesi" by the Filipino-born priest Bartolomeo Scanavacca, printed in Padua at the renowned Stamperia del Seminario for Bernardo Luciani. The volume rigorously and practically illustrates the geometric methodologies for tracing and constructing the various types of sundials and is accompanied by rich numeric plates and calculations to determine the solar motion and the zodiacal signs entry.

The copy is in quarto format (about 21 x 15.5 cm) preserved in its fascinating period binding in full limp parchment, genuine and never restored, with the natural and slight signs of time on the covers that attest to its authenticity. Inside the sheets are solid and well preserved, with natural and mild marginal foxing that do not disturb reading at all, enhanced by charming period ownership notes dated between 1696 and 1784 on the flyleaves and margins.

A key strength of this exemplar is its absolute iconographic completeness: it includes all four large folded plates attached and finely engraved on copper (specified as Plate 1, 2, 3 and 4), rich in geometric diagrams, protractors, and practical schemes for the construction of sundials, all well preserved and printed on strong paper.

What makes this volume extraordinary and unique is the presence of contemporary manuscript material attached inside, the result of the careful work of a scholar, mathematician, or gnomonist of the eighteenth century who used the book for his own studies. The attachments include a large folded sheet with complex scientific diagrams drawn by hand in pen (with period terms such as "Linea di Contingenza", "Circolo equinotiale", and "Regolatrice"), together with a dense sheet of calculations and equations for determining the height of the pole, transforming this book into an unparalleled historical testimony.

The volume will be shipped with utmost care using packaging with a bubble wrap layer and cardboard reinforcements. Shipping will be handled exclusively via a fully trackable express courier, with a tracking code provided immediately after the package is released to allow real-time monitoring of every stage of delivery."