[Parts IV, V, and VI of Travel Books to the Americas published in German by Theodore de Bry with text by Girolamo Benzoni.]

"TRIO OF TRAVEL BOOKS PUBLISHED IN GERMAN BY THEODORE DE BRY WITH TEXT BY BENZONI. -----BACKGROUND: This is a trio of rare books of the 14 Parts published in German by Theodore de Bry, these three using text translated from the Italian Girolamo Benzoni’s book, La Historia de Mondo Nuovo. The present three books have identical size and bindings (except for the titles on the spines). Full calf bindings labeled on the spine "DE BRY REISE 4 (5) and (6)". Benzoni’s observations of Spanish explorers and colonizers include German first editions of Part IV related to the Caribbean Sea and its littoral, Part V related to Mexico, and Part VI related to South America, primarily Peru. -----RARE: No other German-language first edition individual volumes or the set are offered on the internet or on other dealer-sites -----ART IV (AMERICA –CARIBBEAN) -----BOOK: Das vierdte Buch von der Neuwen Welt. Oder neuwe vnd gründtliche Historien, von dem Nidergängischen Indien, so von Christophoro Columbo im Jar 1492……This first German edition was printed in in 1594. Twenty-four engravings and one map. This book is State 2 where about half of the engraved plates have Arabic numerals engraved on the image. State 1 has none and State 3 is fully populated (Vavra, p. 79). (Church 183) -----MAP: Occidentalis Americæ partis, vel, earum Regionum quas Christophorus Colombus primu detexit Tabula Chorographicaè multorum Auctorum scriptis, præsertim verò ex Hieronymi Benzoni … Historia, conflata & im æs incisa à Theodoro de Bry Leod'. Anno M D XCIIII (Burden, 83). Dated 1594, the map was conflata (conflated) and the plate was incisa (cut) by Theodore de Bry. We should not attribute to Benzoni all or any part of this map (Vavra, p. 61). -----PART V (LATIN AMERICA – MEXICO) -----BOOK: Americae Das fünffte Buch, Vol en oner unerhörter Historien, auß dem andern theil Ioannis Benzonis von Meylandt …. 22 engraved plates; one map. (Church, 186). Published 1595. -----MAP: The map title is Hispaniæ Novæ Sivæ Magnæ, Recens et Vera Descriptio 1595. The map, sometimes called New Spain shows the Pacific coast and central area of Mexico. Based on Abraham Ortelius’ 1579 work Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. De Bry "borrowed" the Ortelius and updated, embellished and published this later version. ------VI (LATIN AMERICA). -----BOOK: Das sechste Theil der neuwen Welt. oder Der Historien Hieron. Benzo von Meylandt ….T heodore de Bry, Frankfurt am Main. Twenty-eight engravings, one map and a double-page city view. (Church, 188). Published 1597. -----MAP: The title is America Sive Novus Orbis Respectu Europaeorum Inferior Globi Terrestri Pars. 1596. Publication data is at the bottom center: Francofurti ad Moenum Formis Theod. de Bry. (Burden 91.) -----CUSCO. Cusco urbs nobilissima et opulentissam Peruani regni. A double-page bird’s eye view of the capital of the Inca Empire (13th century – 1532). -----CONDITION: Pages trimmed by an earlier bookbinder (circa 1900) with the loss of the Roman umerals of the Part VI engravings. All three volumes e are newly conserved and have new full calf bindings. Complete, German 1st editions. Very good condition. ------MORE INFORMATION: Size limitations of the software preclude greater explanation of the contents and condition. For more information about the contents of individual books, see our separate issues for other Parts IV and VI on this site. Also, for a detailed analysis of Part IV, see Vavra, below. -----BIBLIOGRAPHY: ---Burden, Philip D. The Mapping of North America. Rickmansworth: Raleigh Publications, 1996. ---Church, Elihu Dwight. A Catalogue of Books Relating to the discovery of North and South America, 907. ---Vavra, Luke A. Exploration and Colonization of the New World 1492-1619: An Analysis of the German Editions [of] Theodore de Bry’s Part I (Virginia) 1590 and Part IV (Caribbean) 1594 of the Grand Voyages. Self- published, 2023. [Available on this site.]".…