Milestones of Science Books

GRIENDEL, Johann Franz.

Micrographia nova: sive nova & curiosa variorum minutorum corporum singularis cujusdam & noviter ab autore inventi microscopii ope adauctorum & miranda magnitudine repraesentatorum descriptio tam utilitatis quam jucunditatis gratiae additis eorum figuris. .

Nürnberg: Johann Zieger, 1687.

1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #003423

4to (195 x 158 mm). [8], 64 pp, 27 sheets of plates (23 folding) representing 37 engraved plates of a total of 55 objects. Signatures: [pi]⁴ A-H⁴. Near contemporary vellum, blue-dyed edges, new endpapers (boards a bit warped). Text and plates with only very little browning to outer margins. A fine, crisp and clean copy, complete with all the plates present as called for. ----

Nissen ZBI 1715; Keynes, A Bibliography of Robert Hooke, p. 22; Hagen 304; Horn-Schenkl. II, 8583; Waller 10815; NLM/Krivatsy 4997; Wellcome III, 165. - FIRST EDITION in Latin, published simultaneously with an edition in German language. The microscope developed by Griendel enabled a much higher magnification than was previously possible with Hooke's microscope. The detailed engravings show ants, fleas, lice, mosquitoes, flies etc. as well as molds, seeds of plants, hair, textile fibers, pin heads, powdered grain and others. The author provides a circled true-to-scale representation next to the illustration of each magnified object, which provides a striking impression of the magnifying power of his microscope. The plate count given in the literature is somewhat confusing as the large sheets were intended to be cut-up by the binder and placed facing the corresponding text pages. Not all binders have followed this direction likely because of the potential risk that images get cropped. A good example for this situation is the large folding plate bound after the section title "observatio V" in our copy. It represents 6 individual plates for separation. These plates are commonly found separated and bound-in facing the respective text pages in other copies. - Visit our website to see more images!

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