Geography

The Geography of Ptolemy Elucidated begins with "A brief outline of the rise and progress of geographical inquiry prior to the time of Ptolemy" (pages 1-16).

Here Rylands tells us that pre-scientific knowledge of the earth was infused with myth, with the first tentative steps towards a more scientific approach being made by philosophers, including Aristotle (384-322 BC), Anaximander (approx. 610-546 BC) and Thales (approx. 624-548 BC). He considers the first figure to take a truly scientific approach to Geography to have been Pytheas of Massalia (approx 350 - 285 BC) - "who combined the accuracy of an astronomer with the intrepidity of an explorer" (2).

Pytheas's own writings have not survived, but two works, both found in multiple editions in the Rylands bequest, are key sources of Pytheas' account of his voyage to northwest Europe, as well as for the findings of Dicearchus (approx 350 - 285 BC), Erastothenes (approx. 276 - 195 BC), and Hipparchus (approx. 190 - 120 BC) whose work Rylands goes on to summarise as marking key developments in the early history of Geography.

The Geographia of Strabo (64/63 BC - c.24 C) is described in the Oxford Classical Dictionary as “by far the most important source for ancient geography, a priceless document of the Augustan age, and a compendium of important material derived from lost authors”. Rylands cites Strabo regularly. Amongst a handful of editions of Strabo's work included in the Rylands bequest is this copy of the first Greek printed edition, which was produced at the Aldine Press, in 1516. 

Pliny's Historia Naturalis - an encyclopedic work which presents information on astronomy, anthropology, zoology, botany, drugs, medicine and magic, art history, agriculture, metallurgy, mineralogy and mining - is also a useful source of ancient geographical knowledge. Again, Rylands owned a number of copies of this book, both in Latin and in English. The earliest printed copy owned by Rylands was printed in Venice in 1487:

Finally, the earliest Roman geographer, Pomponius Mela (active c.43 AD), was also present in multiple editions in Rylands' library, being another key text in his attempts to understand the course of geographical thinking before Ptolemy: