Milestones of Science Books

PORTA, Giovanni Battista, della.

Magiae Naturalis Libri Viginti, in quibus scientiarum naturalium divitiae, et deliciae demonstrantur. .

Frankfurt am Main: Heirs of Andreas Wechel, Claude de Marne & Johann Aubry, 1597.

2nd Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #003275

8vo (165 x 110 mm). [36], 669 [3] pp. Signatures: )(⁸ ):(⁸ )::(² A-2T⁸. Final two leaves of index misbound at beginning, final leaf blank. Woodcut printer's device on title, woodcut initials and headpieces, woodcut illustrations in text depicting alchemical apparatus and laboratory equipment. Bound in contemporary limp vellum, gilt morocco label and ink title to spine, yapp edge, title also inked to lower edge, remains of leather ties, yapp edges, slightly soiled. Leaf Ss2 with paper flaw to lower right corner, text somewhat browned (stronger towards end), light foxing throughout. Provenance: early eligible ex-libris on title. Very good copy. Collated complete. ----

RARE SECOND EDITION of Della Porta's Magia Naturalis (Natural Magic), complete in 20 books. The work embraces a number of interesting subjects: the wonders of nature; the origin of species; the preservation of food, the preparation of bread, liqueurs, oils, etc .; the transmutation of metals; the creation of fake gems; magnetism; the preparation of various types of medical remedies and women's cosmetics; distillation, the preparation of ointments, pyric powder, etc.; how to treat iron; the art of cooking (pp. 501-525); hunting techniques for small birds through the use of traps; how to write secret letters; the burning mirrors and the refraction; the weights; pneumatic experiments, and a last chapter entitled 'Chaos' on various topics from the bite of the viper to flying dragons. The book was first published in Naples in 1589 and then soon forbidden for a decade. This edition precedes the lifting of the ban, granted in 1598. Perhaps the most remarkable part of the book is 'De Catoptrici', a treatise on optics and lens-making which established the technical and practical pre-conditions to Galileo's observations. See Mortimer, Harvard Italian 400 and Riccardi I(ii) 307 (both the 1589 edition). - Visit our website to see more images!

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