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Sebastian Münster (1488-1552) was a cosmographer and professor of Hebrew who taught at Tübingen, Heidelberg, and Basel. He settled in the latter in 1529 and died there, of plague, in 1552. Münster made himself the center of a large network of scholars from whom he obtained geographic descriptions, maps, and directions.

As a young man, Münster joined the Franciscan order, in which he became a priest. He then studied geography at Tübingen, graduating in 1518. He moved to Basel, where he published a Hebrew grammar, one of the first books in Hebrew published in Germany. In 1521 Münster moved again, to Heidelberg, where he continued to publish Hebrew texts and the first German-produced books in Aramaic. After converting to Protestantism in 1529, he took over the chair of Hebrew at Basel, where he published his main Hebrew work, a two-volume Old Testament with a Latin translation.

Münster published his first known map, a map of Germany, in 1525. Three years later, he released a treatise on sundials. In 1540, he published Geographia universalis vetus et nova, an updated edition of Ptolemy’s Geographia. In addition to the Ptolemaic maps, Münster added 21 modern maps. One of Münster’s innovations was to include one map for each continent, a concept that would influence Ortelius and other early atlas makers. The Geographia was reprinted in 1542, 1545, and 1552.  

He is best known for his Cosmographia universalis, first published in 1544 and released in at least 35 editions by 1628. It was the first German-language description of the world and contained 471 woodcuts and 26 maps over six volumes. Many of the maps were taken from the Geographia and modified over time. The Cosmographia was widely used in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The text, woodcuts, and maps all influenced geographical thought for generations.

Place/Date:
Basle / 1560 circa
Size:
13.5 x 9.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
26079
Place/Date:
Basle / 1570 circa
Size:
15 x 4 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
26167
Place/Date:
Basle / 1542
Size:
13.5 x 10.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
95794
Place/Date:
Basle / 1560 circa
Size:
6 x 4 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
70795
Place/Date:
Basel / 1560 circa
Size:
12 x 11.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
81268
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
5.5 x 3 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
71244
Place/Date:
Basle / 1552 circa
Size:
14.5 x 11.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
75727
Place/Date:
Basle / 1552
Size:
16 x 11.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
77566
Place/Date:
Basle / 1542
Size:
13.5 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
76322
Place/Date:
Basle / 1542
Size:
13.5 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
77556
Place/Date:
Basle / 1542
Size:
13.5 x 11 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
86489
Place/Date:
Basle / 1554 circa
Size:
6 x 10.3 inches (Including text)
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
73670
Place/Date:
Basel / 1554
Size:
6 x 10.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
83135
Place/Date:
Basel / 1554
Size:
30.5 x 9.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
86508
Place/Date:
Basle / 1560 circa
Size:
14 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
83124
Place/Date:
Basel / 1554 circa
Size:
13.5 x 10.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
81282
Place/Date:
Basel / 1554
Size:
13.5 x 10.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
81285
Place/Date:
Basel / 1554 circa
Size:
12 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
81286
Place/Date:
Basle / 1554
Size:
6.5 x 10 inches Including Text
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
73700
Place/Date:
Basle / 1561
Size:
5.25 x 6.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
75104
Place/Date:
Basel / 1560 circa
Size:
8 x 12 inches (sheet size)
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
75156
Place/Date:
Basle / 1598
Size:
6.25 x 5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
75179
Place/Date:
Basel / 1560
Size:
12 x 8 inches (sheet size)
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
75325
Place/Date:
Basle / 1560
Size:
6.25 x 5.75 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
75407
Place/Date:
Basel / 1560
Size:
5.5 x 3.5 inches (sheet size)
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
75443
Place/Date:
Basel / 1552 circa
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
81273
Place/Date:
Basel / 1550 circa
Size:
13.5 x 10.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
81292
Place/Date:
Basle / 1550 circa
Size:
14.5 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
81290
Place/Date:
Basle / 1578 circa
Size:
14 x 12.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
83117
Place/Date:
London / 1598 circa
Size:
15 x 12.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
74642
Place/Date:
Basle / 1550 circa
Size:
13.75 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
95795

Archived

Place/Date:
Basle / 1550
Size:
15 x 11 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0002
Place/Date:
Basle / 1552
Size:
13.5 x 10.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
0223
Place/Date:
Basel / 1572
Size:
13.5 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
10232
Place/Date:
London / 1598
Size:
15 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
10236
Place/Date:
Basle / 1550
Size:
5.5 x 3.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0412
Place/Date:
Basle / 1550
Size:
5.5 x 3.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0413
Place/Date:
Basle / 1550
Size:
4.5 x 3 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
0414
Place/Date:
Basle / 1550
Size:
4.5 x 3 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0417
Place/Date:
Basel / 1550
Size:
13.5 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
0576
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
6.5 x 4 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0730
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
9.5 x 6.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0733
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
7 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0735
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
6 x 5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0736
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
8 x 7 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0737
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
5.5 x 4 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0738
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
6 x 4 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0739
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
7 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0740
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
5 x 3 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0741
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
6 x 5.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0742
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
5.5 x 4 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0743
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
5.5 x 4 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0744
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
6 x 5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0745
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
10 x 7 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0746
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
6 x 5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0747
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
7.5 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0748
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
7 x 5.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0750
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
7 x 6.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0754
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
6 x 5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0755
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
7 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0756
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
6.5 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0757
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
15 x 4 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0758
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
15 x 4 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0759
Place/Date:
Basle / 1561
Size:
13.5 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
10052
Place/Date:
Basle / 1569
Size:
13.5 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
10143
Place/Date:
Basle / 1569
Size:
13.5 x 10 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
10146
Place/Date:
Basle / 1578
Size:
6.5 x 5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
10772
Place/Date:
Basle / 1578
Size:
10.5 x 6.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
10774
Place/Date:
Basle / 1578
Size:
10.5 x 6.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
10775
Place/Date:
Basle / 1578
Size:
15 x 9 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
10777
Place/Date:
Basel / 1592
Size:
14 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
10778
Place/Date:
Basel / 1570
Size:
11 x 7 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
10853
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
6.5 x 3.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
10951
Place/Date:
Basle / 1570
Size:
6.5 x 6 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
10952
Place/Date:
Basle / 1570
Size:
5.5 x 3.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
10953
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
6 x 4 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
10954
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
15 x 9 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
10955
Place/Date:
Basle / 1570
Size:
9.5 x 7 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
10956
Place/Date:
Basle / 1579
Size:
11.5 x 7 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
10957