Travel Book Through Holy Scriptures, Heinrich Bünting – Magdeburg, 1597 – Including the Cloverleaf Map and ...

Travel Book Through Holy Scriptures, Heinrich Bünting – Magdeburg, 1597 – Including the Cloverleaf Map and Other Maps of Eretz Israel and the World
Itinerarium Sacrae Scripturae. Das ist Ein Reisebuch, Uber die ganze heilige Schrifft, in zwei Bücher getheilet. Printed by Paul Donat (in Vorlegung Ambrosii Kirchners). Magdeburg, Germany, 1597. German. Itinerarium Sacrae Scripturae [Travel book through Holy Scriptures], by Heinrich Bünting, (1545-1606), a German pastor, theologian and cartographer, native of Hanover. This is one of the most important travel books, and when first published in 1581, provided the most comprehensive description of biblical geography available. Since then, the book has been printed in several editions and has been translated into many languages. The book describes the Holy Land by following the travels of various notable people from the Old and New Testaments. Four parts (separate title pages for each part, with the exception of the first part): Part 1 is the longest and deals with the Old Testament recounting the travels of the Prophets, Kings, Judges and various other Biblical figures. Part 2, Itinerarium Noui Testamenti, describes the travels of Joseph, Maria and other figures from the New Testament. Part 3, Uber das Buch Josua, deals with the Book of Joshua; Part 4, De Monetis et Mensuris Sacrae Scripturae is about money and means of payment mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. The book includes 12 maps (woodcuts), most of the maps are double-spreads (printed on two pages), depicting the world and Eretz Israel. Three of the maps are figurative maps drawn by Bünting: The first and most well known is the map which portrays the world in the shape of a cloverleaf with three points (the cloverleaf appears on the emblem of the city of Hanover, where Bünting was born). The triple cloverleaf represents three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa. In the center of the leaf, representing the center of the world is the city of Jerusalem. The second map presents the Asian continent in the shape of Pegasus (a winged horse that appears in Greek mythology). On the third map, the European continent is drawn in the shape of a queen wearing a cape and a crown (depicting the Phoenician princess, Europe). In addition to these figurative maps, the book also contains more conventional maps: a map of the African continent, two world maps, four maps of Eretz Israel, a map of Jerusalem and a sketch of the Holy Temple. Part 1: [14], 240, [7] pages (lacking another title page?); Part 2: [6], 102, [8], pages; Part 3: [1], 34, pages, [one empty]; Part 4: [6], 15, [2], 14-21 pages. Many mispaginations. Volume 30 cm. Spots, moth damages, minor tears. Some leaves (primarily with the maps), have ancient repairs – tears restored with glued paper. The first title page is detached and damaged, glued on paper for reinforcement. The maps are in fair condition. Most have stains and restored tears (ancient restorations). Some have cutoff margins. The cloverleaf map is detached, with spots, minor tears to margins, paper glued on folding mark. The margins of the queen-shaped map of Europe and the Pegasus map are slightly cut off. Spotting. Restored damage to the folding marks. Restorations with glued paper and tape (the Pegasus map has two strips of tape, 8 and 4 cm. long). Contemporary binding, with clasps for closing (one clasp is lacking).