LEON L'AFRICAIN [Leo Africanus, Johannes (al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Wazzan al-Fasi).]. De Totius Africae descriptione, libri IX. Quibus non solùm Africae regionum, insularum, & oppidorum fitus, locorum q intreualla accuratè complexus est, sed Regum familius, bellorum causas &euentus, resq. In ea memorabiles, tam à seipso diligente obseruatione indagatas, q in veris Maurorum Annalib. Memoriae traditas, copiose descripsit, recéns in Latinam linguam conuersi Ioan. Floriano Interprete. 1556.

Rare first latin edition of this famous description of Africa.
Born Al Hassan Ibn Mahommed Al Wezaz Al Fasi probably in Granada in about 1494, the author received a great part of his education at Fez, later travelling through most of northern Africa between 1507-1520.
He undertook his most famous series of journeys across the Sahara into modern day Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Chad between 1513 and 1515.
Later he travelled to Constantinople and Egypt, and while travelling home from there in 1520 was captured by pirates and presented to Pope Leo X in Rome.
There he converted to Christianity, was baptized and adopted his Christian name.
First published in Italian in 1550, this first Latin edition was the basis for the English translation of 1600.

A complete copy, with the 2 final blank leaves often missing and in a contemporary binding.