Heylyn’s Cosmographie – Volume with 4 Maps & Illustrated Frontispiece

This volume is Peter Heylyn’s Cosmographie infourebooks contayning the chorographie & histoire of the whole world and all the principall kingdomes provinces seas and isles there of or Cosmography, in Four Books. Containing the Chorography and History of the Whole World, and all the Principal Kingdoms, Provinces, Seas, and Isles thereof. The work was published in London in 1667 for Anne Seile.

The volume is bound in full contemporary calf with gilt detailed spine and to edges of boards. It includes an illustrated frontispiece and four maps of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. It is four books and an appendix to one volume. The appendix is title An Appendix to the Former Work, Endeavouring a Discovery of the Unknown Parts of the World: especially of Terra Australia Incognita, or the Southern Continent, 1669.

Heylyn set out to meticulously detail all aspects of the known world including geography, climate, customs, achievements, politics, and belief systems. His work has the first published descriptions of Australia, California, Terra del Fuego, and other territories of the New World. He also described the Arctic, Antarctica, and the fabled North West Passage. He suggested that American should be named “Columbana” or “Cabotia” after its ‘true discoverers’, Columbus and Cabot.

Peter Heylyn (1599-1662) was an English clergyman and author of polemical, historical, political and theological tracts. He included political concepts in his geographical works. He served as chaplain to Charles I.

Provenance: Owner inscription to first page that reads Ruh? Beauchamp 1670