The first book with printed nautical maps, and the only incunable edition of a work of this nature. Bartolommeo calls himself a ship’s captain and identifies himself on folio 3 recto: “per aprobar questa opereta fata/ per me Bartolomeo da li Sonetti”. The sobriquet ‘da li Sonetti’ or ‘dalli Sonetti’ refers to the fact that Bartolommeo’s descriptions of the islands are in verse form. (Some authorities identify Bartolommeo with Bartolommeo Zamberti.) The maps in his isolario are undoubtedly based on those in the many manuscripts of Buondelmonti’s ‘Librum Insularum’ in circulation in the 15th century, despite the fact that the author says he drew the charts from personal observation. Nevertheless, this rare work forms the printed prototype for all subsequent isolarios: the maps in the works of Bordone and Boschini can be traced to Bartolommeo’s linear designs.
[Isolario. Begins:] Al Diuo Cinquecento cinque e diece...
List of plates, our numbers:
Note that the maps contain no place names. Note also that the maps are on the rectos, with text on the facing verso. We have supplied the modern names of the islands in the list of plates. If there is a great disparity between the Venetian name and the modern name, the Venetian name is given in brackets.
01. Kythera [Cerigo]
02. Crete [Candia] (d-p)
03. Carpathos
04. Rhodes
05. Limonia-Chalki
06. Tilos [Piscopia]
07. Nisyros
08. Astypalea [Stampalia]
09. Namphio
10. Santorini
11. Folegandros [Policantro]
12. Milos
13. Siphnos
14. Seriphos
15. Kythnos [Fermenia]
16. Zea
17. Andros
18. Tinos
19. Myconos
20. Delos [Sdiles]
21. Syros [Hyera]
22. Paros
23. Naxos
24. Pira-Chiero-Radia
25. Ios
26. Amorgos
27. Zinara-Levita
28. Caloieros
29. Cos [Lango]
30. Kalymnos [Calamos]
31. Leros
32. Patmos
33. Fourni [Lipsos-Crusia-Forni]
34. Arkoi-Agathonisi [Fermaco-Gatonisi]
35. Samos
36. Icaria
37. Psara
38. Chios
39. Mitylene
40. Tenedos
41. Lemnos [Stalimene]
42. Mt. Athos
43. Pelagonisi [Limine Pelegise]
44. Skyros
45. Alonissos [Dromi]
46. Skiathos-Scopelos
47. Euboea [Negroponte] (d-p)
48. Hydra, Spetses, Aegina and other islands of the Saronic gulf [Damala et altre isole]
49. Cyprus