A fine set of all 165 letters in first edition

LEEUWENHOEK, Anton van.

Ontledingen en ondekkingen... Brieven... [17 parts bound in 5 volumes].

Leiden & Delft: van Gaesbeeck, Boutesteyn, van Kroonevelt, 1684.

1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #001988

Leiden & Delft, 1684-1718. 4to (190-203x146-151 mm). With 100 plates, 3 engraved frontispieces and 123 engraved illustrations in text. Lacking only the engraved portrait of the author in vol. II. Vol. I-III and V in contemporary uniform Dutch vellum boards with spine titled in manuscript, sprinkled edges; occasional toning in first 2 volumes; vol. IV in contemporary calf, spine with 5 raised bands richly gilt in compartments (extremities little rubbed, corners bumped), light waterstain to top corner of first 40 leaves. Provenance: Signatures of the Rotterdam physician Jan van der Hoeven (1801-68) and his son and grandson of the same name (1834-1900 and 1863-1941), both surgeons; armorial ex-libris of the grandson to front paste-downs of 4 volumes; Kenneth Rapoport, ex-libris to front paste-downs.

A fine set of all the 165 letters in Dutch, ALL IN FIRST EDITION, comprising letters 28-146 and I-XLVI (letters 1-27 were not printed in Dutch, though several were published in Latin or English, usually abridged, in the Philosophical Transactions). In 1672 Leeuwenhoek began to make his own microscopes with extremely powerful lenses, with which he examined innumerable organic and inorganic structures. Regner de Graaf introduced him to the Royal Society in 1673, and from then on for half a century he wrote long letters to the Society in which he described a vast array of discoveries. "His most important contributions were made in the fields of microbiology, sexual reproduction, hematology, and plant anatomy. He was the first to recognize the true nature of microorganisms" (Norman). He was the first to observe, inter alia, the red blood cells, and he saw the passage of blood from the arteries to the veins in the fin of a fish in 1688. This event was the final proof of Harvey's circulation theory. He first described, in about thirty letters, microorganisms, including bacteria, protozoa, and rotifers. His discovery of unicellular life made him the father of microbiology. At the suggestion of the medical student Johann Ham, Leeuwenhoek examined seminal fluid and observed spermatozoa, which he dubbed little animals (animalcula). He was convinced that man was preformed in them, and thus started a long-running debate with the Harveian school. He is one of the greatest figures in the history of microscopy, and is with Hooke the only seventeenth-century microscopist about whose technique anything is known. During his lifetime Leeuwenhoek published 165 letters, individually or in collections, in arabic- and roman-numbered series. The present set follows the composition of Dobell's own copies of which he states that "perfect copies, composed of first editions throughout, and with all the plates, are now extremely rare" (Dobell 20). Dobell has seen only one such perfect sets (his own). Content in order of appearance as bound in:
1.1 - Ontledingen en Ontdekkingen van levende Dierkens in de Teel-deelen van verscheyde Dieren, Vogelen en Visschen; van het Hout met der selver meningvuldige Vaaten... Leyden: Boutesteyn, 1686. [1-5] 6-40, 35 [1] pp., engraved allegorical title in first state (dated 1685) and 3 engraved plates (2 folding), text engravings. Contains unnumbered letters 28-31 & 34-36, each series continously paginated separately. Letters 34-36 misbound after I.2. Dobell 8; Norman 1309.
1.2 - Ondervindingen en Beschouwingen der onsigtbare geschapene waarheden, vervat in verscheydene Brieven, geschreven aan de Wijt-beroemde Koninklijke Societeit in Engeland. Leyden: van Gaesbeeck, 1684. [8], 8, 32 pp., text engravings. Contains letters 32 & 33, unnumbered and paged separately. Bound after 1.1. Dobell 1; Norman 1301; Horblit 65.
1.3 - Ondervindingen en Beschouwingen der onsigtbare geschapene waarheden, waar in gehandeld werd vande Eyerstok. Leyden: van Gaesbeeck, 1684. [2], 21 [1], 19 pp., text engravings. Contains letters 37 & 39, unnumbered and paged separately. Letter 39 misbound after 1.6 (letter 38). Dobell 2; Norman 1303; Horblit 65; Norman Medicine 37.
1.4 - Ondervindingen en Beschouwingen der onsigtbare geschapene waarheden, waar in gehandeld werd vande Schobbens inde Mond. Leyden: van Gaesbeeck, 1684. iv, 24 pp., text engravings. Contains letter 40, unnumbered. Dobell 3; Norman 1305; Horblit 65.
1.5 - Ondervindingen en Beschouwingen der onsigtbare geschapene waarheden, waar in gehandeld werd over het maaksel van't Humor Cristallinus. Leyden: van Gaesbeeck, 1684. [2], 26 pp., text engravings. Contains letter 41, unnumbered. Dobell 4; Norman 1306; Horblit 65.
1.6 - Ontledingen en Ontdekkingen van de onsigtbare Verborgentheden; vervat in verscheyde Brieven, geschreven aan de Wijt-vermaarde Koninklijke Wetenschap-soekende Societeyt tot Londen in Engeland. Leyden: Boutesteyn, 1685. 94 (i.e. 88) pp., text engravings. Contains unnumbered letters 38, 42, 43. First 12 leaves with the title and letter 38 misbound after 1.3 (letter 37). Dobell 5; Horblit 65.
1.7 - Ontdekkingen en Ontledingen van Sout-figuren van verscheyden Souten: van Levendige Dierkens in de Mannelyke Saden de Baarmoeder ingestort; ende van de Voort-telinge. Leyden: Boutesteyn, 1685. [2] 3-76 pp., engraved folding plate, text engravings. Contains unnumbered letters 44 & 45; the latter containing Leeuwenhoek's observations of spermatazoa. Dobell 6; Norman 1307; Horblit 65.
1.8 - Ontledingen en Ontdekkingen van het Begin der Planten in de Zaden van Boomen. Leyden: Boutesteyn, 1685. [2] 3-78, [2, blank] pp., engraved folding plate, text engravings. Contains unnumbered letters 46 & 47. Dobell 7; Norman 1308; Horblit 65.
1.9 - Ontledingen en Ontdekkingen van de Cinnaber naturalis, en Bus-poeder; van het maaksel van Been en Huyd. Leyden: Boutesteyn, 1686. [3] 4-109 [1] pp., engraved folding plate, text engravings. Contains unnumbered letters 48-52. Dobell 9; Norman 1310; Horblit 65.
2.1 - Vervolg der Brieven, geschreven aan de Wytvermaarde Koninglijke Societeit in Londen. Leyden: Boutesteyn, 1687. [8], 155 [1] pp., 8 engraved plates (2 folding), text engravings. An engraved portrait is cited by Dobell, which is not included here. Contains letters 53-60, all except the first numbered. Dobell 10; Norman 1311 (cit. 2nd edition) ; Horblit 65.
2.2 - Natuurs Verborgentheden Ontdekt: zijnde een Tweede Vervolg der Brieven, geschreven aan de Koninglijke Societeit tot Londen. Delft: Voorstad, 1689. [2], 157-260, 269-298, [2, blank] 299-350 pp., 6 engraved plates (3 folding), text engravings. Contains letters 61-67, all numbered. Dobell 12; Norman 1312; Horblit 65.
2.3 - Derde Vervolg der Brieven, geschreven aan de Koninglyke Societeit tot Londen. Delft: van Kroonevelt, 1693. [8], 351-531 [1] pp., 6 engraved plates (5 folding, 1 supplied), text engravings. Contains letters 68-75, all numbered. Dobell 13; Norman 1314; Horblit 65.
2.4 - Vierde Vervolg der Brieven, geschreven aan de Wytvermaarde Koninklijke Societeyt in London. Delft: van Kroonevelt, 1694. [2], 533-730 pp., 6 engraved plates (5 folding). Contains letters 76-83, all numbered. Dobell 14; Norman 1315; Horblit 65.
3.1 - Vijfde Vervolg der Brieven, geschreven aan verscheide Hoge Standspersonen en Geleerde Luijden. Delft: van Kroonevelt, 1696. [8], 1-172, [10], including additional engraved title dated 1696, 7 engraved plates (3 folding). Contains letters 84-96, all numbered. Dobell 15; Horblit 65.
3.2 - Sesde Vervolg der Brieven, geschreven aan verscheide Hoge Standspersonen en Geleerde Luijden. Delft: van Kroonevelt, 1697. [4], 173-342, [10], 5 engraved plates (1 folding). Contains letters 97-107, all numbered. Dobell 16; Horblit 65.
4 - Sevende Vervolg der Brieven, waar in gehandelt werd, van veele Opmerkens en verwonderens-waardige Natuurs-Geheimen. Delft: van Krooneveld, 1702. [7], 2-452, [22] pp., 25 engraved plates (2 folding). Contains letters 108-146, all numbered. Dobell 18.
5 - Send-Brieven, zoo aan de Hoog-edele Heeren van de Koninklyke Societeit te Londen, als aan andere Aansienelyke en Geleerde Lieden. Delft: Beman, 1718. [16], 460, [28] pp., additional engraved title with portrait inset (dated 1718) and 31 engraved plates (12 folding). Contains letters I-XLVI, all numbered. Dobell 19; Horblit 65.

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