Extremely rare in any state

BACON, Francis.

Opera Francisci Baronis de Verulamino Vice-comitis Sancti Albani, tomus primus: qui continet de dignitate & augmentis scientiarum libros IX.

London: In officina Joannis Haviland, 1623.

1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #002688

Folio (302 x 208 mm). [16] (of [20]), 493 [1] pp. Signatures: [par]⁴ (-[par]1-2), A⁶ B-3R⁴ (-R4). Errors in pagination: p. 35, 38 misnumbered 43, 46 respectively, p.[282] unnumbered; catchword on [par]2 recto: "emittit" (a variant setting has "Translatio."). Text within rules with a blank marginal column for side-notes, woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces composed of printer's ornaments; woodcut printer's device to second title, lacking first title- and dedication leaf (both supplied in good facsimile, bound in by Bernard Middleton) and the final blank. Contemporary polished calf (rebacked by Bernard Middleton, corners bumpled, extremities little rubbed), preserving original gilt backstrip in compartments with red morocco label, pastedowns using unfolded printed sheets from 17th century astronomical work by Gassendi. Light waterstaining to upper blank corner throughout, occasional very minor spotting, numerous short annotations in light pencil. Provenance: the late Sir Nicholas Wall, English judge and former President of the Family Division and Head of Family Justice for England and Wales (bookplate to rear pastedown); Maggs Bros Ltd (handwritten entry of sale on 26.8.81 on rear pastedown). Except for the missing two leaves (which are supplied in good facsimiles), a fine, wide-margined copy. ----

Gibson 129a; STC 1108. FIRST EDITION. Book 1 is for the most part a translation of book 1 of 'The Advancement of Learning', published in 1605; books 2-9 form an expansion of book 2 of that work. The whole was translated into Latin by William Rawley under the supervision of Bacon. This expanded edition became known as 'De augmentis scientiarum', which was intended as Part 1 of Bacon's proposed, but never completed 'Instauratio magna.'
Extremely rare in any state. This copy last sold at auction at Sotheby's in 1947 (£42) and since then we can trace only the Pirie copy in 2015 (sold for $16,250). The copy was restored in 1983 by Bernard Middleton in London, with rebacking of the spine and insertion of a facsimile first title-page printed on old paper (the invoice for that tasked is loosely attached).

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