Extremely rare, very early Deventer almanac, with only one other copy recorded. Beautifully printed in red and black, the almanac includes a calendar and predictions for the upcoming year (1596). Due to its small size, the work uses symbols to mark important recurring events, such as the phases of the moon and the dates of upcoming markets. As it is a "schrijf almanak" (writing almanac), the work serves almost as a diary, and incorporates blank leaves for annotations. The almanac for the previous year, 1595, is one of the oldest recorded copies of the Deventer almanac, and was found in the belongings of Willem Barentsz at Nova Zembla.
The Deventer almanac is probably the oldest almanac of the Low Countries, as the first was printed around 1480. It was soon combined with the Medieval genre of prognostication (predictions based on astrological calculations), and as such, they were typically compiled by an astrologer. The present edition of the Deventer almanac was compiled by the physician-astrologer Rodolphus Grapheus (d. before 1618), who succeeded astrologer Ambrosius Magirus Jr. shortly before 1587. He had a moderate view of astrology, believing that the stars could play a guiding role, but not that their message had to be followed at every cost. With this view, he set the tone for the whole 17th century, as his successors followed his example for their own prognostications.
The wrapper are very slightly soiled. The leaves are browned. Otherwise in good condition. STCN 31819175X (1 copy); USTC 452532 (1 copy); cf. Salman, p. 222 and 400 (on the publisher), pp. 43-45, and 270 (on the author).