Rare first edition of the Latin translation of a very influential astronomical work, which was in large part responsible for spreading Ptolemaic astronomy in medieval and early modern Europe. Written in the 9th century, it was a summary of Ptolemy's Amalgest, but circulated in Europe long before the Amalgest itself was first translated into Latin (1496). The work was referenced by numerous medieval authors, and it is known that Dante Alighieri also used it for two of his works (Vita Nuovo and Convivio). Despite its importance, however, the present edition is quite scarce, as we have only been able to trace one other copy in sales records of the past 100 years.
Aḥmad ibn Moḥammad ibn Kathīr al-Farġhânî (also known as Alfraganus in the West, ca. 800-ca. 861) was one of the astronomer-astrologers employed by the Abbasid caliph Al-Ma'mun (r. 813-833) in Baghdad. He composed several works on astronomy and astronomical equipment that were widely distributed in Arabic and Latin for multiple centuries. The present work, however, is his best-known and most influential one. It was known in Arabic under various titles, including Kitāb jawāmi' 'ilm al-nujūm wa uṣūl al-ḥarakāt al-samāwīya, which translates to "Book of generalities of astronomy and bases of celestial motions". It was written between 833 and 857, and is a summary of Ptolemy's Amalgest, but with corrected calculations that were based on the most up-to-date information of the time. Like the Amalgest, Al-Farġhânî's work describes the movements of the sun, moon and planets, their distance to earth, solar and lunar eclipses, a calculation of the dimensions of the earth, descriptions of the different climates on earth, and zodiac signs. Al-Farġhânî also added a chapter with comparisons between different calendar systems. According to the Dictionary of Scientific Biography, the work "gives a comprehensive account of Ptolemaic astronomy that is entirely descriptive and nonmathematical. These features together with the admirably clear and well-organized manner of presentation, must have been responsible for the popularity this book enjoyed."
The work was translated into Latin multiple times, including by Johannes Hispalensis (John of Seville, fl. mid-12th century), Gherardo da Cremona (ca. 1114-87), and Jacob Golius (1596-1667). It was also translated into Hebrew by Jacob Anatoli (1194-1256). The present Latin translation is by German orientalist and humanist Jacob Christmann (1554-1613), and was based on Anatoli's Hebrew translation. A second edition appeared in 1618. In the appendix, Chistmann mentions his difficulties in editing it while lacking suitable Arabic versions. His lament about the difficulty of printing a scientific work that predates his era by more than 700 years, is a telling detail that highlights the influence that scientific texts produced in the Islamic world had on early modern Europe.
With a crossed out ownership annotation on the recto of the first flyleaf, an annotation ("f=10=") on the verso of the first flyleaf, a calculation in an 18th-century hand on page 25, and another annotation in a different 18th-century hand on pp. 531 and 565 ("de el Conde de Storrepalma"). The edges and corners of the boards are slightly scuffed and the vellum is slightly stained, with an imprint of a label on the spine, a green ink scribble and partially rubbed off writing in blue ink on the front board. The work is somewhat browned throughout, with a water stain in the outer margin of the first 30 pages, slightly affecting the text, the head margin has been cut slightly short, without affecting the text. Otherwise in good condition. De la Lande, Bibliographie astronomique, p. 121; DSB 4, p. 541-545; Houzeau & Lancaster 1115; USTC 676537; VD16 A 1203; Zinner 3368.