Russia seu Moscovia itemque Tartaria. Commentario topographico atque politico illustratae

Leiden: Elzevier, 1630. Good. First edition, first of two printings of the same year; 4 1/4 x 2 1/4; pp. [4], 5-327, [9]; tooled, polished calf over boards; engraved title page and woodcut vignettes at beginning of chapters; tiny bookshop label and a faint, penciled-in note to front board verso; a small, contemporary manuscript note at bottom of title page; wear and old, discreet repair to leather along spine; a small, faint stain to top margin of first few leaves only, else clean; in good to very good condition.Renowned for their pocket-size books, a convenient way in which texts circulated beyond national borders, the Elzeviers' enormous popularity was mainly based on their Latin-language editions, which came in two series - the Republics (Respublicae) and cheap, but scholarly editions of classical texts. The current book, belonging to the former, presented a compilation of details from various sources on the history, geography, economy, and the people of Russia and the Baltic and Black-Sea regions. Over time, excerpts had been attributed to Dutch scholar and linguist Marcus Zuerius van Boxhorn (1612 – 1653), "Michalonis Lithuani" (Michael the Lithuanian) - possibly one of two nobles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - either Michael Glinsky (1460s - 1534), or Michal Tyszkiewicz (1533 - 1552), and others. (Willems 336)