Geographia by Strabo, new incunabula in CRAI Library
The collection of incunabula of the CRAI Library -the most important one in Spain- has a new volume. It is Geographia by Strabo, and it was printed in Venice by Johannes Rubeus Vercellensis on April 24, 1494. This work is one of the classic resources with more information about the Catalan countries in ancient times. This donation was done by Alexandra von Arx Ortinez, who visited the University of Barcelona on June 16 ri give the work to the Rector Dídac Ramírez. The book belonged to her father, Manuel Ortinez-Mur, and when he died he wanted to give it to the University, in which he had established friendship with the ex-Rector Josep Maria Bricall. During her visit, she saw the rectorʼs office, met the rector and Bricall himself, and signed the book of honours of the University.
The collection of incunabula of the CRAI Library -the most important one in Spain- has a new volume. It is Geographia by Strabo, and it was printed in Venice by Johannes Rubeus Vercellensis on April 24, 1494. This work is one of the classic resources with more information about the Catalan countries in ancient times. This donation was done by Alexandra von Arx Ortinez, who visited the University of Barcelona on June 16 ri give the work to the Rector Dídac Ramírez. The book belonged to her father, Manuel Ortinez-Mur, and when he died he wanted to give it to the University, in which he had established friendship with the ex-Rector Josep Maria Bricall. During her visit, she saw the rectorʼs office, met the rector and Bricall himself, and signed the book of honours of the University.
Strabo was a Greek geographer, historian and writer, born in Amaseia in 64-63 BC and died around 20 AD. Geographia is his most important work and it was written over a long period of his life. It is made up of seventeen books, most of them still kept. In these books there are descriptions of several known parts of the world such as Europe, Asia minor, the Orient and Africa (Libya and Egypt). These descriptions have historical and philosophical observations. The third book is dedicated to the geography of the Iberian Peninsula.
Ordered by Pope Nicholas V, this work was translated into Latin around 1454 by the Italian Guarino Guarini and the promoter of Greek learning in Paris, Gregorio Tifernate. Its first edition came out of the German press printers Conradus Sweunheym and Arnoldus Pannartz in Rome in 1469 and there were three more copies printed before the edition of 1494. This shows the great success the work had from the very first moment. There are copies of this incunabula around the world, they are found in the Incunabula Short Title Catalogue (ISTC).
Straboʼs work made an influence on the humanist Joan Margarit i de Pau (1422-1484), author of Paralipomenon Hispaniae libri decem where Geographia is usually quoted. Margarit, who had a magnificent library, is considered to be the first author of the Peninsula who used Geographia with erudite aims. The Rare Book and Manuscript CRAI Library guards three manuscripts from Joan Margarit.