The artful early instruments of Peter Apianus : Ein kunstlich Instrument of 1524, its precursors and its successors
In 1524, Petrus Apianus published two closely related works—one the Latin Cosmographicus liber, aimed at an educated audience of international readers, and the other, Ein kunstlich Instrument, a shorter, more practical book for those who could read German but had no Latin. Both books nevertheless make use of most of the same instruments, including Apianus’ early volvelles. Most of these instrument