Early English Almanac with Zodiac man - “A Concordancy of Yeares” - Arthur Hopton - Sombre Binding - Published in London in 1615.

“A Concordancy of Yeares” 

-Arthur Hopton

-Published in London by Nicholas Okes and Thomas Adams in 1615

-In Contemporary Sombre Binding - with split to spine at front board.

-Complete: [16], 254, [2]pp, C5 and C6 with losses to image border and text replaced with old paper repair (see photo). F4 with margin losses and missing a few letters. Minor worming from 99-114 which affects text in places. A few examples of contemporary marginalia to text.

The book contains a wealth of information on the times of year, how to calculate religious festivals, and other useful day to day information.

One of the most important features is the zodiac man, who can be found in prayer books from the late 15th to early 17th centuries.

The zodiac man used astrology to predict how the cosmos affected health and daily life. It was thought that each star sign affected different parts of the body - Leo the heart, Aires the head, and Aquarius the legs.

Consulting an astrological chart was common practice, and any well trained physician would use it to know when best to let blood, or to perform surgery.

STC 13779. Tomash & Williams H163.