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First edition of the encyclopaedia of Isidore of Seville, "of infinitely greater importance" (PMM) than contemporary incunable encyclopaedias, containing "the earliest printed map of the world" (Shirley) and comprising a singular source of information for natural philosophers, geographers, and navigators of the Renaissance. The encyclopaedia was "arguably the most influential book, after the Bible, in the learned world of the Latin West for nearly a thousand years" (Barney, p. 3). Famously, the Etymologiae contains the first printed world map, a circular "T-O" mappa mundi depicting the three continents - Asia, Europe, and Africa - encircled by ocean and divided by a T-shaped inland sea. Book XIV of the encyclopaedia ("De terra et partibus"), in which it appears, remained a crucial source of medieval geographical information; it was, for example, "the most frequently cited source for the fiery wall round paradise, and for the identification of the [biblical] rivers" (Flint). Isidorus also provided a touchstone for 15th-century navigators during the heated debates on the habitability of the Antipodes; he is cited in both Pierre d'Ailly's Imago Mundi (1410) and the correspondence of German explorer Martin Behaim (1459-1507), and he earns a brief mention in Columbus's letter to Santangel (1498) regarding the location of earthly Paradise ("San Isidro y Beda y Damasceno y Estrabon … y todos los sacros teologos todos conciertan quel Parayso terrenal es en fin de oriente"), a letter that unquestionably shows "the range and scope of [Columbus's] authorities" (Flint, p. 10). Isidore of Seville (c. 560-636) stands like a colossus over the dawn of the Middle Ages and modern Western society. A polymath and one of the greatest Christian scholars of his time, his works circulated in manuscript for 700 years before the first printing of the Etymologiae. He founded his encyclopaedia on what became an extremely influential trope, that the etymology of a word can yield the "true sense" and indeed the intrinsic character of the thing named by the word. Compiled from over 150 works of Latin antiquity, the Etymologiae draws from classical Roman writers - Horace, Virgil, Pliny the Younger, Galen, and Solinus - and Church Fathers such as Augustine, Ambrose, Tertullian, and Gregory the Great. The work draws freely upon both Christian and pagan sources, sometimes representing our only witness for lost texts, for example, the Prata of Suetonius. "The descriptive pattern of India for most of the medieval treatises was given by Isidore of Seville in his Etymologies. In book XIV, concerning 'De terra et partibus', within the framework of the description of Asia, having spoken about the earthly paradise, Isidore brings together, from the ancient geographers and encyclopedists, the traits that will remain emblematic of the medieval image of India … The Indian 'continent' takes its name from the river Indus, one of its great water courses, together with the Ganges and the Hyphasis (the last frontier of Alexander's expedition). Its limits are, to the west, the Indus (the border between Middle India and Lower India), to the north, the Caucasus (which connects the Middle East with Middle India and Lower India), to the south the southern sea and to the east the earthly paradise (thus Lower India is attached to Higher India). The great islands of the Ocean also belong to India – such as the famous Taprobana (seemingly Ceylon, as transfigured by the magical imagination of the Middle Ages) and the mythical Chryse and Argyre, whose soil would be covered in gold or silver, respectively. The dominating wind (information taken from Posidonius) would be Favonius, a most agreeable, pure, healthy southeast wind. The climate would be mellow, with seasons that are propitious for two harvests per year, keeping vegetation evergreen. Several juxtaposed enumerations suggest a richness and abundance that are due not so much to the tropical climate as to the mythical atmosphere embracing India. These enumerating series summarise the lists of lapidaries, bestiaries, human catalogues and other encyclopedias of the Antiquity and Middle Ages. There are spices …; precious stones …; exotic or fantastical animals that are often guardians of these natural treasures … ; finally, monstrous human races, impossible to list, because of the immense numbers of the Indian population (Pliny explains the multitude of Indians – nine thousand tribes and five thousand large cities – as a consequence of the Indians being the only people never to have migrated from their territory)" (Braga, p. 33). READ MORE Folio (288 x 205 mm): [a4 b10+1 c–n10 o8+1 p–z10 A10 B8 C10 D10+2]; 264 leaves, unnumbered. Early 18th-century German calf, spine tooled in gold, joints reinforced. 38 lines per page and table in double column. Type: 3:107R. With small woodcut T-O map, 3 full-page woodcuts, numerous woodcut mathematical and lunar symbols in text. Fully rubricated in red in a contemporary hand, initials on first leaf in green and blue. Occasional marginal notes; ms. note following colophon. Expert repairs in outer margin of prelims not affecting text; one (of three) woodcuts cropped (as often); reinforcement in gutter to a single leaf; blank verso of colophon leaf backed. Generally, an unusually fresh copy, excellent. BMC II.317; BSB-Ink. I.627; CIBN I.67; H9273*, Harvard/Walsh 500; ISTC ii00181000; Printing and the Mind of Man 9; Schramm II.24; Schreiber 4266; Goff I181; Stillwell VI-850. Map: Campbell, The Earliest Printed Maps 1472-1500, 1; Shirley 1. Stephen A. Bar

The "Etymologiae," also known as the "Origines" or "Etymologies," is a comprehensive encyclopedic work compiled by Isidore of Seville (c. 560–636 AD), a scholar and, later, Saint, who was one of the most influential figures in the early Middle Ages in Europe. This remarkable work is considered one of the earliest attempts to compile a sum of all human knowledge available at the time, in the tradition of Pliny the Elder's "Natural History" and other ancient encyclopedias. The "Etymologiae" is significant not only for its content but also for its impact on the medieval understanding of science, the arts, and the world. This essay will explore the structure, content, and lasting influence of the "Etymologiae," highlighting its role in the transmission of classical knowledge to the medieval world. The "Etymologiae" is organized into twenty books, each dedicated to a different field of knowledge. This structure reflects Isidore's intent to categorize the entirety of human understanding as it was known in his time. The work covers a wide range of subjects, including grammar, mathematics, medicine, law, geography, and theology, among others. Each book is further divided into chapters that delve into specific topics within the broader subject area. One of the defining features of the "Etymologiae" is its etymological approach to the organization of knowledge. Isidore often begins his explanation of a concept with its linguistic origins, believing that understanding the root of a word provides insight into the essence of the thing it names. This method reflects the medieval mindset that language and reality were deeply intertwined, and that names held intrinsic significance. The "Etymologiae" was among the most popular and widely circulated works throughout the Middle Ages. Its significance lies not only in its content but also in its role in preserving and transmitting the knowledge of the ancient world to medieval European scholars. Isidore's work served as a bridge between the classical period and the Middle Ages, ensuring that the intellectual achievements of the Greeks and Romans were not lost to time. In an era when original texts from antiquity were scarce and the ability to read them even scarcer, the "Etymologiae" provided a summary of these works that was accessible to scholars and monks throughout Europe. It was used as a textbook, reference work, and a basis for further scholarly efforts. Its influence can be seen in the works of later medieval scholars and encyclopedists, such as Vincent of Beauvais and Thomas Aquinas. The "Etymologiae" remains a valuable source for modern scholars interested in the intellectual history of the early Middle Ages. It offers insights into the transmission of knowledge across cultures and epochs, as well as the evolution of scientific and philosophical thought. Additionally, the work provides a snapshot of the linguistic and etymological understandings of the time, reflecting the medieval approach to learning and scholarship. Despite its occasional inaccuracies and the limitations of its scope by modern standards, the "Etymologiae" is a testament to the enduring human desire to categorize and comprehend the world. Isidore's endeavor to compile a sum of all knowledge is a reflection of the universal quest for understanding that continues to drive scholarly and scientific inquiry today.