72 MAPS AND THEIR MAKERS 



illuminated codex to Borso d'Este, and this may have prompted 

 him to propose to Bentivoglio, eager to show himself a patron 

 of learning, the printing of the 'Geography'. The venture was 

 certainly undertaken in a competitive spirit, for it was hurried 

 on to forestall the Roman edition, and it has been suggested 

 that one of Sweynheym's workmen was enticed away from 

 Rome to reveal his technique to the Bologna printers. The 

 manuscript which was used was closely related to one by 

 Nicholaus Germanus, but owing to hasty production, the 

 edition was unsatisfactory. The text is marred by misprints, 

 and the maps are poorly executed, with numerous errors and 

 omissions, and much evidence of inexpertness and haste. Its 

 shortcomings were realized by the publishers, and during the 

 next two years the plates were improved and new versions 

 issued. There is little to be said for this edition; it is certainly 

 the first to contain engraved maps — but otherwise Crivelli 

 showed himself to be a better artist than cartographer, despite 

 the help of two astrologers. 



This Bologna edition contains twenty-six ancient maps; 

 they are drawn on the original conical projection, with degrees 

 of longitude and latitude indicated in the margins, and also 

 the climates. 



The Rome edition of the 'Geography' finally appeared in 

 1478, one year after the Bologna edition. The text was edited 

 by Domitius Calderinus, probably using the Ebner Codex of 

 Nicholaus Germanus. The maps were engraved on copper by 

 Conrad Sweynheym, and are very finely executed. jThe out- 

 lines are sharp, and there is a pleasing absence of unnecessary 

 detail. The names are in a style based upon the lettering on 

 the Trajan column, and set a high standard for later map 

 engravers. Mountain ranges are drawn in profile, rather in the 

 style of 'mole hills'. Given the magnitude of the task, and the 

 experimental stage of the art of engraving, the atlas is an ex- 

 tremely fine production. The maps are the twenty-seven ancient 

 ones of the 'A' recension, on the rectangular projection: degrees 

 of latitude and longitude are marked in the margins, and also 

 the length of the longest days. 



The first printed work to include 'modern' maps with 

 Ptolemy's maps is strictly speaking not an edition of the 



