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Cosmographer,
cartographer
and Christian
Hebraist
Georg Reisch,
one of his famous
teachers, a
cosmographer,
scholar and
writer of the
encyclopedia
„Margarita Philosophica“,
inspired Münster
to study geography,
Hebraic and
science.
Münster translated
Ptolemy's „Geographia“
from Greek to
Latin and published
it together
with 48 maps,
created after
Ptolemy's descriptions.
The first edition
was published
by Heinrich
Petri, Basel
1540.
Münster's
chief work,
the „Cosmographia“,
a word history
written by several
historians and
richly illustrated
by impoprtant
artists of his
time, kept him
busy for many
years. The first
edition was
published in
Latin by Heinrich
Petri, Basel
1544.
Included
was a set of
maps, with a
world map and
for the first
time maps of
the 4 continents:
Europe, America,
Africa and Asia.
All the other
maps published
show more detailed
areas of Europe,
Africa and Asia.
The „Cosmographia“
had been reissued,
revised and
extended for
many times and
was published
in many different
languages until
1628. It was
one of the most
successful and
popular books
of the 16th
century.
Münster also
published many
other works,
e.g. several
Habrew grammars.
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