55

Jofrancus Offusius (ca. 1505-1570)

Ephemerides Anni Salutis Humanae 1557.

Paris: Ex officina Ioannis Royerij, 1557.
First edition, quarto, two parts in one volume with divisional title; unusual woodcut printer's device to both title pages showing God as a divine potter throwing a vase or urn on the potter's wheel, surrounded by other thrown pots on the shelves that surround him, with the motto, "Et Stante et Currente Rota" below, a clear reference to the movement of the earth: a wheel that stands and turns; tables and charts in the text; bound in later half sheep with decorative paper boards; some staining to contents; very rare, Worldcat locates only the Harvard copy; 8 1/2 x 6 1/4 in.

Not much information is available about Offusius, however, in his 1993 paper, "The Master of the 1550 Radices: Jofrancus Offusius," Professor Gingerich recounts his discovery, through scrutiny of marginal notes, that the German astronomer was an influential part of a circle of mathematicians in France interested in Copernicus's De Revolutionibus, and dedicated to calculating more refined versions of the astronomical tables in use at the time.

"Offusius, in the preface to his Ephemerides, indicated that he had worked on the problem of planetary influences for 14 years, and had become increasingly dissatisfied with the Alfonsine Tables, which he rejected as worthless. [...] If we look at his tables for January, it appears Offusius was simply using Reinhold's Prutenicae Tabulae, but when we examine the subsequent months, it becomes clear that Offusius was doing something 'different from all the rest,' although rather closely patterned on Copernicus's data." (Quoted from the paper mentioned above.)

  • Notes: Ex libris Professor, Astronomer, Historian & Bibliophile Owen Gingerich.
  • Condition: A-E4, F2, G-I4 (H4 blank & present).

    Ex libris Professor, Astronomer, Historian & Bibliophile Owen Gingerich.

    Please contact us to request a condition report:
    Devon Eastland, Senior Specialist: [email protected]
    Grace Meschery-McCormack, Cataloguer: [email protected]


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April 23, 2026 10:30 AM EDT
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