Item of the month: Peter Apian’s Cosmographia

A post by Collections Coordinator Hannah Cartwright

Our item of this monthis Peter Apian’s Cosmographia. Initially published in 1524, later editions of Cosmographia expanded and edited by Gemma Frisius became hugely successful. Our 1584 edition is one of these later editions. Over 40 editions of Cosmographia were published in under a century, and it was translated from Latin into 4 different languages.

So, what made Cosmographia a 16^th century bestseller?

Cosmographia was a guide to the immensely popular science of cosmography, the study of the earth and the cosmos through calculating, mapping, and describing the universe. With numerous other cosmographic works to compete with, Apian’s work had to do something unique to stand out.

Cosmographia’s biggest strength lies in its close relationship with the practical elements of the science. The pages are filled with illustrations of instruments and descriptions of how to use them. Frisius himself was an instrument maker, and some of the illustrated items are his own inventions readers could buy at his workshop. More importantly, Cosmographia contained specially designed paper instruments- known as volvelles- to practise cosmographical calculations. Readers who could not afford large brass instruments could still learn and practise the basics through the book itself.

There are 5 volvelles in the book. One such example is pictured. This volvelle’s design is heavily based on an astrolabe, and users could adjust the instrument make different calculations, including being able to tell the time. This do-it-yourself approach to cosmography greatly appealed to Apian’s audience, who were largely enthusiastic amateurs teaching themselves. It turned theoretical concepts into something practical, and interactive.

Apian and Frisius’ cosmographical legacy, however, goes beyond their interesting approach to instrument making. Cosmographia included a section on the New World, still a new discovery for European travellers. Part of the book’s popularity can certainly be attributed to an eager public snatching up any information they could about this far-flung new continent. Apian’s information didn’t even have to be accurate for it to attract readers- in fact, Cosmographia’s maps including the New World were already out of date by the time of publication.

Despite this inaccuracy, the book helped popularise the name ‘America’ for the continent. Cosmographia’s world map was heavily based on Martin Waldseemüller’s map. Waldseemüller was the first to propose the name ‘America’ for the New World, due to his admiration for the explorer Amerigo Vespucci. As Cosmographia’s sales increased, so did the widespread usage of the name ‘America’.

Thus, the Cosmographia was able to capitalise on the public’s thirst for knowledge. Apian and Frisius provided an accessible route into a science that promised to explore and explain the whole universe, and gave their readers the tools to begin practising these ideas as they learned. Cosmography promised to be able to unravel the secrets of the universe, and readers could glimpse this potential through the maps and descriptions of the strange new continent: America.

Cosmographica is available to view at Palace Green Library. Elliott Collection; Elliott I.3

Further reading:

• The best resource for learning more about the Cosmographia is this online exhibition by students at the Oxford Museum of the History of Science. It is available here: Student Exhibition: Cosmographia
• Broecke SV. The Use of Visual Media in Renaissance Cosmography: the Cosmography of Peter Apian and Gemma Frisius. Paedagogica historica. 2000;36:130–150.
• Gaida M. Reading Cosmographia: Peter Apian’s Book-Instrument Hybrid and the Rise of the Mathematical Amateur in the Sixteenth Century. Early science and medicine. 2016;21:277–302.
• Heninger SK. The cosmographical glass : Renaissance diagrams of the universe. San Marino, Ca: Huntington Library; 1977.