Breve Compendio de la Sphera y de la Arte de Navegar

Breve Compendio de la Sphera y de la Arte de Navegar – Vicent Garcia Editores – R-1/145 – Biblioteca Històrica de la Universitat de València (Valencia, Spain)

Seville (Spain) — May 27th, 1551

How to make a sea astrolabe or determine the time at night: Martín Cortés de Albacar's milestone in navigation and cosmography with groundbreaking findings about the Earth's poles

  1. Martín Cortés de Albacar (1510–1582) wrote the standard navigational textbook of the 16th century

  2. Albacar explains the variability of magnetic declination when using a compass in different regions of the globe

  3. It was first published on May 27th, 1551 by Antón Álvarez in Seville and enjoyed numerous translations

Breve Compendio de la Sphera y de la Arte de Navegar

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  1. Description
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Description
Breve Compendio de la Sphera y de la Arte de Navegar

The Brief Summary of the World and the Art of Navigation, originally titled Breve Compendio de la Sphera y de la Arte de Navegar in Spanish, is a fascinating and significant piece of scientific history that explains the variability of magnetic declination when using a compass in different regions of the globe. With this work, the Spanish author and cosmographer Martín Cortés de Albacar (1510-1582) broke with the prevailing ideas of his time and completely revolutionized seafaring by establishing new standards for navigation in the 16th century. In addition to introducing new navigation methods, the work also describes the various instruments and their use, and in some cases even their manufacture at sea, including a nocturnal and an astrolabe. This Spanish first edition of the historic work was published on May 27, 1551, in Seville and is particularly well preserved in Codex R-1/145 of the Biblioteca Histórica de la Universidad de València.

Breve Compendio de la Sphera y de la Arte de Navegar

The treatise, whose full title translates to “Brief Compendium of the Globe and the Art of Navigation” in English, is usually referred to simply as Arte de Navegar. It was written by Bujaraloz native Martín Cortés de Albacar (1510–1582) and published on May 27th, 1551 in the Seville printing house of Antón Álvarez. Alcabar was a Spanish cosmographer whose treatise was considered to be the standard navigational textbook in the 16th century. The practical codex concisely described navigation, cosmography, and solving problems related to magnetic declination as well as models for various instruments. These include one of the first known descriptions of a nocturnal, which allows one to calculate the local time at night based upon the relative positions of at least two stars, and instructions for making and using a mariner’s astrolabe, which determines latitude. All of this is explained in easily legible Gothic script and is adorned by clear, precise woodcuts. The work went on to enjoy numerous translations, with the 1561 English translation by the alchemist Richard Eden (ca. 1520–1576) enjoying particular popularity, appearing in at least six editions, and representing the first formal navigational work in English. Thus, the Spanish original at hand was of importance not only for the land of its origin, but had a significant impact on sailors and navigators across Europe.

Codicology

Alternative Titles
Breve Compendio de la Sphera y de la Arte de Navegar: con nuevos instrumentos y reglas, exemplificado con muy subtiles demonstraciones
Kurze Zusammenfassung über die Welt und die Kunst des Navigierens
Size / Format
204 pages / 30.0 × 20.5 cm
Origin
Spain
Date
May 27th, 1551
Language
Illustrations
Numerous, sometimes multi-layered, geographical illustrations and diagrams along with depictions of nautical instruments
Content
Treatise on navigation and cosmography
Artist / School

Available facsimile editions:
Detail Picture

Breve Compendio de la Sphera y de la Arte de Navegar

Martín Cortés de Albacar

This somewhat different author portrait can be found at the beginning of the text and shows Martín Cortés de Albacar standing in profile, pointing to the sky with his right index finger, which is adorned with a ring. There, a glistening figure of light emerges from the clouds. On small pedestals lie various astronomical instruments that could be used to study this divine-looking celestial phenomenon. Between them lies an open book with astronomical diagrams – a self-referential representation of the codex in which the woodcut is found. The quill pen in the inkwell emphasizes the authorship of the sumptuously dressed cosmographer.

Breve Compendio de la Sphera y de la Arte de Navegar – Vicent Garcia Editores – R-1/145 – Biblioteca Històrica de la Universitat de València (Valencia, Spain)
Single Page

Breve Compendio de la Sphera y de la Arte de Navegar

Nocturnal

This fascinating, multi-layered illustration shows the structure of a so-called nocturnal. It was used by sailors to determine the position of the North Star and the stars surrounding it. On this basis, the time could be calculated at night, which was essential for precise navigation.

The accompanying text describes the construction and functioning of the instrument. The date was set on the bottom layer. The days of each month can be read in 5-step intervals. The disc attached to it indicates the 24 hours of a day. Through the hole in the middle – represented here as a star – the North Star could be sighted, while at the same time one of the surrounding stars was targeted with the pointer in the shape of a horn.

Breve Compendio de la Sphera y de la Arte de Navegar – Vicent Garcia Editores – R-1/145 – Biblioteca Històrica de la Universitat de València (Valencia, Spain)
Facsimile Editions

#1 Breve Compendio de la Sphera y de la Arte de Navegar: con nuevos instrumentos y reglas, exemplificado con muy subtiles demonstraciones

Vicent Garcia Editores – Valencia, 1996

Publisher: Vicent Garcia Editores – Valencia, 1996
Limited Edition: 3160 copies
Binding: Parchment binding on wooden boards. The facsimile is presented in a linen-covered slipcase with a gold-tooled leather spine. A Spanish essay by Vicente Escartí Soriano, Professor of Philology at the Universitat de València, appears in the separately available commentary volume ‘Bibliofilia Antigua IV’. The edition does not include a commentary volume. An academic introduction to the work, written by Vicente Escartí Soriano, is available in the Spanish-language anthology “Bibliofilia antigua IV,” which can be purchased separately.
Commentary: 1 volume by Vicente Escartí Soriano
Language: Spanish

Part of the anthology “Bibliofilia antigua IV,” published by Vicent Garcia Editores.
Complete color reproduction of the original “Breve Compendio de la Sphera y de la Arte de Navegar” at its original size. The facsimile aims to reproduce the original’s appearance, feel and physical characteristics as faithfully as possible. The pages are trimmed to the original format. The binding may differ from the original’s present-day binding. The facsimile is completed with leaf M2 from copy R-2104 in the Biblioteca Nacional de España and includes movable spheres. Printed on specially made laid paper.
Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €
(under 1,000€)
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