The Southern Cross was never lost to Indigenous Australians, but it was to Europeans when its five bright stars disappeared from sight in Roman times. So when adventurer Andrea Corsali saw its “marveylous crosse” after he passed the Cape of Good Hope in 1516, he swooned.
Now a rare letter containing Corsali’s illustration and description of the Southern Cross has been acquired by the State Library of NSW for $1.19 million with support from its foundation.
[Clip] Source: State Library of New South Wales
The letter, written in Latin in 1516 and translated into English in 1555, is thought to be the earliest printed documentation by a European of the Southern Cross, and is one of the library’s most significant acquisitions in recent years.
There are only four known copies of the letter, which were printed by Medici clandestinely soon after receiving the original in October 1516. Three are held in institutions overseas, and the fourth will now go on display in the State Library’s Amaze Gallery from Thursday.
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area.
He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
