First edition of one of the best early attempts to give a scientific account of astronomy, cosmography, geology, meteorology, tides, springs and rivers, by Paolo Nicoletti Venetus (ca. 1369/70-1429), edited by Jean Dullaert of Ghent (ca. 1470-1513). The book is also a splendid display of the woodblock cutter's art. In addition to the many astronomical diagrams and an an armillary sphere, it shows 24 pictorial constellations with stars, 12 for the northern hemisphere and, more unusually, 12 for the southern hemisphere.
Venetus joined the Augustinians at Venice at age 14, then studied in Oxford and Padua, continuing as a lecturer there, in Bologna and elsewhere, and wrote his Summa philosophiae naturalis in 1408. While Veneto's Summa naturalium Aristotelis, a commentary on Aristotle, first published at Venice in 1476, was published at Venice under the present title in 1503, it is a completely different work, so Dullaert's present edition is the first edition of the present text. Venetus based his book largely on Restoro or Ristoro d'Arezzo, Composizione del mondo, written ca. 1282, and it is sometimes regarded as a Latin translation of that (Italian) work, but the ideas circulated via Dullaert's present edition of Veneto's text until d'Arezzo's Italian text was published in 1859.
Although Thomas Kees printed the book it was a joint venture with at least six other Paris booksellers, so he changed the imprint and publishers device during the press-run to make 6 or 7 simultaneous issues of the present edition.
With a few minor spots and smudges, but still in very good condtion and with generous margins (some deckles preserved at the fore-edge). An important compendium of scientific knowledge about the earth and the heavens, especially valuable for its astronomical information and beautiful, sometimes fantastic woodcuts. Moreau II, 679 (7 copies of 5 issues, not distinguished); USTC 20912 (citing Moreau); cf. Houzeau & Lancaster 2272 (other issue); not in Adams; Mortimer, French; for the author: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/paul-venice.