''Cosmographiae Introductio'' ("Introduction to
Cosmography";
Saint-Dié, 1507) is a book that was published in 1507 to accompany
Martin Waldseemüller's printed globe and wall-map (''
Universalis Cosmographia
''Universalis'' is a role-playing game (RPG) from Ramshead Publishing that stresses interactive storytelling. The game uses a unique system, based on "coins" that are used to make additions to the game, which allows the entire group to participat ...
''). The book and map contain the first mention of the term '
America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
'. Waldseemüller's book and maps, along with his 1513 edition of
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...
’s ''
Geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...
'', were very influential and widely copied at the time.
It is widely held to have been written by
Matthias Ringmann
Matthias Ringmann (1482–1511), also known as Philesius Vogesigena was an Alsatian German humanist scholar and cosmographer. Along with cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, he is credited with the first documented usage of the word America, on ...
although some historians attribute it to Waldseemüller himself. The book includes the reason for using the name America in the wall map and the globe, and contains a Latin translation of the four journeys of
Amerigo Vespucci as an appendix.
The full title of the book is: ''Cosmographiae introductio cum quibusdam geometriae ac astronomiae principiis ad eam rem necessariis. Insuper quatuor Americi Vespucii navigationes. Universalis Cosmographiae descriptio tam in solido quam plano, eis etiam insertis, quae Ptholomaeo ignota a nuperis reperta sunt.''
(translation: ''Introduction to Cosmography With Certain Necessary Principles of Geometry and Astronomy To which are added The Four Voyages of Amerigo Vespucci A Representation of the Entire World, both in the Solid and Projected on the Plane, Including also lands which were Unknown to Ptolemy, and have been Recently Discovered'')
[. Alternative translations have been proposed e.g. John Hessler, 2008.]
The map of the world in 1507, entitled ''Universalis cosmographia secundum Ptholomaei traditionem et Americi Vespucii aliorumque lustrationes'', was published in an edition of 1000 copies, of which it seems only a single copy survives. The surviving copy was found in the library of Prince von Waldburg-Wolfegg-Waldsee in the Castle of
Wolfegg in
Württemberg
Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart.
Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...
. It was bought by the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
in 2001. This preservation seems to be due to several sheets being bound into a single cover by the cartographer,
Johannes Schöner.
The map consists of twelve sections printed from woodcuts combined with metal types, each measuring 18 x 24.5 inches (46 x 62 cm). Each section is one of four, that form one of three zones. The map uses a modified Ptolemaic coniform
projection with curved meridians to depict the entire surface of the Earth.
References
External links
* {{commons-inline, Cosmographia
Waldseemüller's mapat the Library of Congress (includes downloadable digital image)
Digital reconstruction of Waldseemüller's globe, 1507-2007(animation)
1507 books
Americas
History of cartography
Geography books
Toponymy
16th-century Latin books