The rare first edition of Paré's collected works
Les oeuvres de M. Ambroise Paré, conseiller et premier Chirurgien du Roy. Avec les figures et portraicts tant de l'anatomie que des instruments de chirurgie, et de plusieurs monstres. Le tout divise? en vingt six livres. .
Paris: chez Gabriel Buon, 1575.
1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #002518
Folio (347 x 225 mm). [20], 945, [45] pp. Title within engraved architectural border of the arms of France, portrait of the author to verso of leaf *3, woodcut initials, head and tail-pieces, several woodcut illustrations in text, privilege and errata leaf bound at end. Without the final blank. Signatures: *6 **4 a-z6 A-Z6 Aa-Zz6 AA-NN6 OO4 (-OO4 blank). Later half calf, spine with 6 raised bands and gilt-lettered morocco label in first compartment (spine ends scuffed, boards rubbed and chipped, extremities worn, corners heavily bumped, hinges split but firm). Internally only little browned, occasional minor spotting, title-page little soiled and stained at outer margins and with small paper slip pasted over old signature at top margin, small waterstain to pp. 317-20, upper blank corner of O3 torn, leaf Qq1 with large brown stain and small holes affecting a few letters of text, last few leaves with light marginal waterstainings. Provenance: Grangier Jesuite (signature to lower title); Nancy, Collegio Nancei Societatis Jesu (inscription on title-page). All in all, a sound copy with ample margins and completely unrestored. ----
Waller 7171; Doe 29; NLM/Durling 3530; Wellcome I, 4819; USTC 29582; Garrison-M. 4750, Heirs of Hippocrates 271 (1582 latin ed.). EXCESSIVELY RARE FIRST EDITION of Paré's collected works, with several illustrations printed here for the first time. Only two complete copies recorded at auction in the past 30 years (e.g. Sothebys, May 18, 2010, sold for ?132,750). Most copies that have appeared on the market had issues such as lacking or supplied text leaves.
The work is profusely illustrated with almost 300 woodcut illustrations, including anatomical and surgical woodcuts, as well as woodcuts of "monsters" and zoological oddities. "Paré, of humble Huguenot beginnings and poorly educated, became the sixteenth century's outstanding surgeon and the greatest military surgeon before his fellow countryman, Larrey, more than two hundred years later. He began his studies as a barber-surgeon and at age nineteen, while working as a surgical dresser and assistant in a Paris hospital, he began to acquire the fund of practical knowledge for which he became a legend in his own time. Probably his best known innovations were his discarding the use of boiling oil in gunshot wounds and the reintroduction of simple ligature instead of red hot cautery after amputation. He invented many surgical and dental instruments and was especially adept at devising ingenious artificial limbs" (Heirs of Hippocrates). "He was the first to suggest that syphilis is a cause of aneurysm. He popularized the truss, introducted artifical limbs, and (in dentistry) re-implantation of the teeth" (Garrison-Morton).
The 'Oeuvres' was Paré's pride and joy and his most important work. "He had taken much care in its preparation, it was on good paper, he had good printers, fine woodcuts, and although more than half of it had already been published in earlier works it contained his care of gunshot wounds, which is still of more than passing importance. The book was subjected to much ridicule by the Faculty of Medicine as they wished to suppress its publication. Under a law written in 1533 they had the right to review and censor any book written on a medical subject. Gourmelin, Dean of the Faculty tried his best to suppress the book, but he was not successful because Paré was a favorite of the Royal House. Paré wrote a fifteen page pamphlet in defense of the material in his book in such a forthright, honest manner that he apparently won a victory. At least he was not defeated since the book was published in its entirety and sold out in a very short time ... He defended himself by saying he was writing in his native language as Galen and Hippocrates had in theirs; that he had given credit to the ancients for their teachings; and credit to his contemporaries who had contributed approved treatments for the good of the patient; that he had always worked for the good of his country and for the young surgeon; and that some of the mysteries of surgery were explained so that the patient would be treated on a sounder basis" (H. N. Sievers, Ambroise Pare: contributor to modern surgery. MD Theses. Paper 127, 1969, pp. 27-28).
Price: 39,000 € * convert currency
Delivery time up to 10 days. For calculation of the latest delivery date, follow the link: Delivery times
Lieferzeit max. 10 Tage. Zur Berechnung des spätesten Liefertermins siehe hier: Lieferzeiten