MEIJLAN, Johann Leonard.
Atlas portatilis coelestis. Oder Compendiöse Vorstellung des gantzen Welt-Gebäudes in den Anfangs-Gründen des wahren Astronomie...; sondern auch zugleich daraus, sich einen bessern Begriff von dem wahren Fundament sowol der Geographie als Schiffahrt zueignen kan.
Nürnberg, Johann Christoph Weigel, printed by Johann Ernst Adelbulner, 1723. Large 8vo. With a double-page title-page printed in red and black and XXVIII (38) engraved plates (1 double-page) with celestial maps, globes, armillary spheres and astronomical diagrams and constellations, coloured by a contemporary hand and tipped onto the fore-edge, folding out so that they can be viewed while reading the book. Contemporary calf. [16], 362, [22] pp.
€ 3,500
First edition of Rost's "Taschenatlas", a portable celestial atlas published as an astronomical handbook and lavishly illustrated with celestial maps, globes, spheres, constellations and diagrams. Johann Leonard Rost (1688-1727), a German astronomer, was strongly influenced by the work of Hevelius, like many other 18th-century German astronomers. The Atlas portatilis coelestis contains an introduction on the subject and the principles of astronomy, discussing not only astronomy in general, but also geometry, globes, ecliptics, terrestrial zones, climates, meridians, the Ptolemaic, Tychonic and Copernican solar systems, celestial globes, constellations, planets, comets, eclipses of the sun, a geographical description of the moon, and much more. All this information is accompanied by engraved plates and maps, including a double-page view of the surface of the moon.
With an owner's inscription on the front paste-down, partly struck through, stating that the owner acquired the book on 20 March (?) 1739 from a friend. Also with an owner's inscription on the recto of the first endleaf by Mathias Schleiper and on the verso another dated 1749 by Joseph Krümmel. Also with a slightly faded library stamp on the title-page.
Binding only very slightly worn. A highly interesting astronomical work with beautiful plates, especially those of the constellations with the zodiac figures. De La Lande, pp. 376-377; Poggendorf II, col. 701; Warner, The sky explored, p. 212; not in Houzeau-Lancaster.
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