This is the Epitome Totius Astologiae, an astrology anthology published in Reformation era Germany circa 1548.
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In English, the Latin inscription on the inner cover reads, “written by John of Seville, a most famous Spanish astrologer, four hundred years ago, and now published for the first time. With a Preface by Joachim Heller of Weißenfels (Leucopetraeus), against the adversaries of Astrology. Nuremberg, in the printing office of Johann Montanus & Ulrich Neuber, in the Year of our Lord 1548.” There is a handwritten signature by Mich. Richey, 1724.
This is a first edition/first time mass commercial printing of the anthology. John of Seville (1133-1153), noted in the inscription as the author, was a 12th century Spanish astrologer credited with bringing Arabic astronomical and astrological scholarship to Western Europe by translating it from Arabic to Latin. Scholars say that the Epitome Totius Astrologiae is a synthesis of many of those Arabic texts.
It is an especially historically significant text, as the Reformation was a period of political and religious conflict in German society, and the publishers of this book seemingly place themselves squarely on one side of the argument by producing this book "against the adversaries of astrology."
The "Mich. Richey, 1724" may indicate that this book belonged to influential German early Enlightenment era scholar Michael Richey.
This is a first edition/first time mass commercial printing of the anthology. John of Seville (1133-1153), noted in the inscription as the author, was a 12th century Spanish astrologer credited with bringing Arabic astronomical and astrological scholarship to Western Europe by translating it from Arabic to Latin. Scholars say that the Epitome Totius Astrologiae is a synthesis of many of those Arabic texts.
It is an especially historically significant text, as the Reformation was a period of political and religious conflict in German society, and the publishers of this book seemingly place themselves squarely on one side of the argument by producing this book "against the adversaries of astrology."
The "Mich. Richey, 1724" may indicate that this book belonged to influential German early Enlightenment era scholar Michael Richey.