| Administrative History | Tilemann Stella was born in 1524 or 1525 in Siegen, Germany, and educated at the Universities of Wittenberg and Marburg. He chose the career of a mathematician, with emphasis on geography, cartography and astronomy, in which capacity he travelled widely in Europe. On his travels he met Duke Johann Albrecht I of Mecklenburg (1525 - 1576) and his younger brother and successor Ulrich, whose patronage was to prove valuable to him, and married the sister of the Duke’s closest friend and adviser. He produced a number of maps of parts of Europe and a guide to go with them, which also acted as an apologia for mathematics. He died in 1589. |
| Custodial History | The name D. Jhonston appears at the top of the fly-leaf |
| Description | 'Tafel oder Calendar mit Erklarung: Bericht von den Theilen und von dem Gebrauch des Compasses' (Table or Calendar with explanation: Report on the parts and usages of compasses), by Tilemann Stella, 1567. This is a practical reference work for use in timetabling religious festivals and other events, as well as an explanation, dedicated to Duke Ulrich III of Mecklenburg (1527 - 1603), of an instrument Stella has made for him. This consists of a kind of portable calculator, sundial and compass combined, and Stella explains how to use it to make a map for navigating on board ship.
Also contains Hebrew / Latin word-list in different hand at back and what appears to be an inventory, largely scored through, of religious texts.
The front cover has the following embossed on the binding: Ulricus Dei Gracia Dux Megalburgensis 1567. |
| Copyright | Subject to the condition of the original, copies may be supplied for private research use only on receipt of a signed undertaking to comply with current copyright legislation. Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from the University Archivist and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. Where possible, assistance will be given in identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material. |