Pomponii Melae De situ orbis libri III. Cum notis integris Hermolai Barbari, Petri Joannis Olivarii, Fredenandi Nonii Pintiani, Petri Ciacconii, Andreae Schotti, Isaci Vossii, & Jacobi Gronovii. Accedunt Julii Honorii oratoris Excerpta Cosmographiae. Cosmographia falso Aethicum auctorem praeferens, cum variis lectionibus ex MS. Ravennatis Anonymi Geographia, ex MS. Leidensis suppleta, curante Abrahamo Gronovio.

Leiden (Lugduni Batavorum), Ex officina Samuelis Luchtmans, 1722. 8vo. (LXXX),811,(36 index),(1 blank) p., frontispiece, folding map. Vellum 21 cm Prize copy (Ref: STCN ppn 238632024; Schweiger 2,611; Brunet 4,801; Dibdin 2,356; Graesse 5,402/403; Ebert 13632; Spoelder p. 683, Utrecht 3) (Details: Prize copy of the 'Gymnasium Hieronymianum' at Utrecht, without the prize. Gilt coat of arms of Utrecht within gilt borders on both boards. 6 thongs laced through the joints. The frontispiece, designed by H. van der My and etched by F. Bleyswyck, depicts a cartographer drawing a map of the world, in the foreground 2 women, one is a cartographer inspecting a map with rule and compass, the other is an archaeologist busy inspecting ancient treasures. Title printed in red and black. The folding map of the earth according to Mela at the beginning of the text is by 'P. Bertius, christianissimi regis geographus'. Engraved text illustrations of coins. 1 full page illustration of 2 sculptured scenes from reliefs 'in hortis Mattheis' (p. 117) The first 304 pages contain the text and commentary. The rest of the book is filled with the annotations of earlier important scholars, especially Isaac Vossius. His observationes fill the pages 316-606. At the end we find Julius Honorius' 'Excerpta quae ad Cosmographiam pertinent' (p. 685-702), the 'Cosmographia antehac temere Aetico adscripta' (p. 703-733), and the 'Ravennatis Anonymi Geographiae libri quinque' (737-811)) (Condition: Binding slightly soiled. Prize gone. All four ties gone. Name on the front flyleaf. Prize removed) (Note: Pomponius Mela, a geographer from the South of Spain, wrote in 43/44 under Claudius the first surviving work on geography in Latin. Pomponius is foremost a writer: distances, directions and other useful information for sailors or travellers is lacking. His work was meant for the educated and curious Roman public. The work was known in the Middle Ages, and in the following centuries he was read at school. § The Dutch classical scholar Abraham Gronovius, 1695-1775, acted as librarian at Leyden University from 1741 until his death. He edited editions of the 'Historiae Philippicae' of Justinus, and two editions of Aelianus. He showed interest in geographical matters, and published at Leiden in 1739 his 'Varia Geographica'. He based this new 'Variorum' edition of the geographer Mela Pomponius on an edition which was previously published in 1696 by his father Jacobus Gronovius, 1645-1716, who was professor Greek of the Unverstiy of Leiden) (Provenance: On the front flyleaf in ink: 'Ex praemiis P.G. v. Poolsum 1731'. We found a Petrus Georgius van Poolsum, born in Utrecht in 1718, who became minister of the protestant church of Doorn in 1741. He died in 1772. Does the inscription mean that young Van Poolsum, age 13, received this prize in 1731? This seems possible, for he has the right age and was from Utrecht. Spoelder signals 3 copies of prizes with this type of coat of arms; they were awarded between 1689 and 1711) (Collation: pi1, *-5*8; A-3G8 (leaf 3G8 verso blank) (Photographs on request)