Milestones of Science Books

BUONANNI, Filippo.

Observationes circa Viventia, quae in rebus non Viventibus reperiuntur. Cum Micrographia curiosa.

Rome: Antonius Hercules, 1691.

1st Edition. Hardcover. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. Very Good. Item #002980

Three parts in one volume. 4to (215 x 153 mm). xx, 307; [308]-342, [2], 106, [4] pp., engraved allegorical frontispiece by Hubert Vincent, woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces, 69 copper engraved plates (5 folding) by Buonanni, second part with engraved title on p.[308] dated 1683, continuous pagination, one woodcut illustration in text and final errata leaf, third part with new pagination, final blank and errata leaf. Contemporary original vellum, spine lettered in manuscript comprising an old faded portion at top and a later one in red and black ink. (dust soiling of vellum, extremities rubbed), sprinkled edges. Text and plates little unevenly browned, short tear to fore-margin of leaf *4 with old paper repair, dust-soiling and very little edge-fraying to frontispiece. Provenance: inscribed on title-page "Philippi Bonanni Soc. Jes.", inscribed "Henr. Hasperg, An. 1703" on second flyleaf, erased illegible stamp on first title-leaf verso (thinning of paper). A very good, clean copy that comes with a valid export license from the Italian cultural ministry of Florence. ---- Norman 374 (mentions 68 plates only); Garrison-Morton 264; NLM/Krivatsy 1935; Nissen ZBI, 752; Pritzel 1374; Wellcome II, 198. FIRST EDITION. Buonanni, a pupil of Athanasius Kircher, and one of the first experimenters after Leeuwenhoek to pursue microscopic research, constructed his own compound microscopes for use in his scientific investigations. The Micrographia curiosa, a separately paginated addition to his Observationes circa viventia, includes interesting observations on early microscopes and gives a precise description of the author's own model and the famous microscopes of the Bolognese instrument-maker, Joseph Campani. "The main body of the Observationes defends Buonanni's theories of spontaneous generation, first set forth in his Ricreazione dell'ochio e della menta (1681), against the criticisms of Francisco Redi, who had exposed Buonanni's numerous methodological errors in his own Osservazioni intorno agli animali viventi [Florence, 1684]." (Norman). The work was composed as a dialogue between Rufus (Francesco Redi) and Bemarcus (Buonanni), in response to Redi's Osservazioni. - Visit our website for additional images and information.

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