This book was the first atlas to be printed north of the Alps and the first to include modern maps of the world, incorporating new geographical information not found in the writings of Ptolemy (100-168 AD). The maps were printed from wooden blocks and coloured by hand. This was an enormously ambitious and expensive project: the 32 double-page maps were each unique to this book and it was printed on fine paper imported from Milan. About 300 copies were printed, but the high purchase price, and the limited market for such a book, meant that sales were slow. The printer, Lienhart Holle, went bankrupt within a few years of the book’s publication.

More than a hundred copies of the Ulm Ptolemy survive today, an exceptionally large number for a 15^th century book and testament to the esteem in which it has been held. Our copy was bequeathed by William Moryn in 1543. He had been a scholar of Winchester in the 1490s before pursuing an undistinguished clerical career. Moryn left to the College a remarkable collection of books and manuscripts, most of which remain in the library today. Unlike most 16^th century book collections, Moryn’s gift contained only a few theological works, but was rich in science and geography. Among the books given by Moryn is a unique manuscript of Roger Bacon, a Renaissance treatise on the art of memory, and the first edition of Ptolemy (Vicenza, 1475) in a contemporary English binding.

Provenance: Bequest of William Moryn, 1543

Location: Fellows’ Library