Venice, Heirs of Damiano Zenari,, 1607-09. The Italian prophecier An uncommon edition of Magini's ephemerides for the years 1608-30, expanding his publication of 1599 - here partially reprinted in volume I - with two supplementary volumes. Complete copies of early almanacs in such clean condition are scarce, as these popular books were often misused. This exceptionally fresh example has pertinent annotations, and a loosely inserted manuscript horoscope chart. Giovanni Antonio Magini (1555-1617) was a prominent Italian astronomer, cartographer, and professor of mathematics in Bologna, a chair for which he was preferred over Galileo in 1588. An admirer of Copernicus and a long-time correspondent of Brahe and Kepler, he proposed his own geocentric theory in 1589. His ephemerides, tables providing the position of celestial bodies in the sky at regular time intervals in the future, were first published in 1580, then periodically updated with new volumes. These works gained him international fame as an astrologer; during his life and well after his death, English and German almanacs were published under his name, and he was known as "The Italian prophecier". The present edition comprises three books, which also circulated as separate works, respectively containing the ephemerides for the years 1608-10, 1611-19, and 1620-30. Magini's fascinating introductory treatises to each explain the principles of astrology and astronomy, describing the movement of the planets, the fixed stars, provide tables with the longitude and latitude of major cities, and show with illustrations how to cast astrological charts or "figurae coeli". Inserted in this copy is an interesting manuscript example of a chart, most likely a birth chart, neatly sketched by a near-contemporary owner of this book. The diagram, with date and time shown in both civic ("horologium") and astronomical time format ("post meridiem"), traces the position of the planets at 9:30 (civic time) on 10 May 1652. Notable are also Magini's supplementary contributions, here bound in book I, on astronomy as applied to agriculture and navigation, and on meteorology, the latter describing winds and discussing the variable influence of the planets, sun, moon, and constellations on the weather. In the margins of the astronomical tables for the year 1612, an early owner recorded - or perhaps predicted? - the meteorological conditions of a few days: for example, "sereno" (clear), "pioggia" (rain), "nibia" (fog), "freddo" (cold). Quarto in eights (212 x 153 mm), in 3 parts with separate title pages and pagination. Printer device to title pages and verso of last leaf in vol. II, woodcut floriated and historiated initials, head- and tailpieces, numerous woodcut astrological diagrams, illustrations of the sun, moon, and the eclipses. Contemporary limp vellum, spine with early manuscript calligraphic title and shelfmarks, old label at foot, traces of ties. With loosely inserted near-contemporary astrological chart inked on a piece of paper, sporadic contemporary marginalia in Italian vernacular, some suggesting corrections to the printed text. Vellum a little soiled and creased, spine with small cracks at cords but holding well, ink smudges to a few leaves in vol. III, small early repairs to tears in margin of two leaves in vol. II and III, both without loss of text, intermittent marginal damp stains and occasional marks to contents, but an exceptionally crisp and clean copy overall. USTC 4025638; Cantamessa 4745; Houzeau-Lancaster 14859.
