What is "chalcography"

Chalcography \Chal*cog"ra*phy\, n. [Gr. chalko`s copper, brass + -graphy.] The act or art of engraving on copper or brass, especially of engraving for printing.

n. engraving on copper or brass

Chalcography (from Greek chalcos, copper and graphia, to write), are engravings on copper plates used for printmaking and for illustrations in the production of books. The Monte dei Santi di Dio by Antonio Bettini is the most ancient book bearing chalcographies, printed in Florence on September 10, 1477 from Nicolo di Lorenzo Tedesco. Its primacy is contested by Ptolemy's Cosmographia, printed in Bologna on June 23, 1477 from Domenico de' Lapi, a Latin translation from Jacopo d'Angelo, containing geographical charts and maps by Taddeo Crivelli, engraved in copper plates.