Saia, Nonnio MarcelloRagionamenti sopra la celeste sfera in lingua italiana comune. Con uno breve tractato dela compositione della sfera materiale... With woodcut title vignette, 3 fulls. Woodcuts and numerous text woodcuts as well as some initials. Paris, Robert Masselin for François Barthelemy, 1552. 68 nn. Pl. Cl.-8°. Later pastedown in the style of the period, with a written title. Astronomy Saia, Nonnio Marcello Ragionamenti sopra la celeste sfera in lingua italiana comune. Con uno breve tractato dela compositione della sfera materiale... With woodcut title vignette, 3 fulls. Woodcuts and numerous text woodcuts as well as some initials. Paris, Robert Masselin for François Barthelemy, 1552. 68 nn. Pl. Cl.-8°. Later pastedowns in the style of the period with a hand-written title. First edition. - EDIT16 CNCE 47689, BM STC Italian 597, Houzeau/Lancaster 2558, Riccardi I, 410, Olschki, Choix, 3870, not in BP16. - "Scrisse una specie d'astronomia sferica, che si distingue fra le altre dell'epoca per l'obbiettività dell'esposizione ed il nessun accenno alla divinazione astrologica..." (Coelum Astronomia, vol. 9, 1939, p. 49) - Dedicated to and written primarily for Marguerite de Valois, commonly called Marguerite de France (1523-74). In 1549 she received the title of "Duchesse de Berry" (as here on the title), and in 1559 she married the Duke of Savoy. - The author of this work on the celestial sphere, based on the Ptolemaic system, came from the province of Salerno in southern Italy. He published astrological prognostications, one in Italian addressed to Pope Julius III in Rome in 1551 and a longer work in Latin "Prognosticum in annum 1553 et partes 1554" (only one copy of each known worldwide). Saia seems to have settled in Paris in the late 1550s. There he published his paraphrases of the seven penitential psalms (1558), which he dedicated to his patron Cardinal Antonio Trivulzio, who had been legate in France since 1557 and in whose wake he may also have come to Paris. He also published a work on the Nile (De Nili fluminis excrescentia et inundatione, Paris, 1572), a treatise in which he claimed that there is more earth than water (Tractatus in quo... terram esse aqua maiorem demonstratur, Paris, 1585), and finally in 1588 "Du gouvernement du bon prince, et l'office du parfait capitaine", written in Italian and translated into French. The work is dedicated to "la royne mère", i.e. Catherine de Médicis, whose "mathematician" he is described as being. - Title page old-stamped and with former ownership note. First 3 pp. with professionally restored loss in white margin. Some volumes professionally restored at inner margin. Sporadically with contemp. Marginalia in ink, partly somewhat worn through. Minimally browned and partly with inconspicuous waterstaining. Overall a fine copy. Astronomy - With woodcut title vignette, 3 full-page woodcuts and numerous woodcuts in text as well as some initials. Later vellum in the style of the time with manuscr. spine title. - First edition. - Dedicated to and written for Marguerite de Valois, commonly called Marguerite de France (1523-74). In 1549 she received the title of "Duchesse de Berry" (as here on the title), in 1559 she married the Duke of Savoy. - The author of this work on the celestial sphere, based on the Ptolemaic system, came from the province of Salerno in southern Italy. He published astrological forecasts, one in Italian addressed to Pope Julius III in Rome in 1551 and a longer work in Latin (only one copy known in each world). Saia seems to have settled in Paris in the late 1550s. There he published his paraphrases of the seven penitential psalms (1558), which he dedicated to his patron Cardinal Antonio Trivulzio, who had been legate in France since 1557 and in whose company he may also have come to Paris. He also published a work on the Nile, a treatise in which he claimed that there is more earth than water, and finally "Du gouvernement du bon prince, et l'office du parfait capitaine", written in Italian and translated into French. The work is dedicated to "la royne mère", i.e. Catherine de Médicis, as whose "mathematician" he is described. - Title-page old-stamped and with former ownership note. First 3 fols. with expertly restored lack in white margin. A few fols. expertly restored at the inner margin. Occasional contemporary marginalia in ink, partly somewhat bleeding through. Minimally browned and partly inconspicuously waterstained. Overall a fine copy of this rare work.