Milestones of Science Books

PARACELSUS, Theophrastus (Bombast von Hohenheim).

Opus chyrurgicum. Wund und Artzney Buch, darinnen begriffen welcher massen allerhandt Kraencke, Gebresten und Maengel, so dem Menschliche Geschlecht taeglich zu gewarten . . . Sampt vier Büchern wolermeldts Theophrasti Paracelsi so jetzt erst hinzu kommen. Alles durch . . . Adam von Bodenstein . . . in Truck geben.

Frankfurt am Main: Lechler for Feyerabend und Huter, 1566.

1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Item #003667

Folio (292 x 191 mm). [28], 706, [2] pp. Roman numbering. Signatures: [alpha]⁶ [beta]⁸ B-3B⁶ 3C⁴ 3D-3N⁶ 3O⁸. Title with woodcut portrait of the author and printer's device, final leaf recto with large printer's device and colophon dated 1565, 35 woodcut illustrations in text. Bound in 20th century three-quarter morocco and cloth-backed boards, spine with 5 raised bands and gilt lettering, new endpapers. Text somewhat browned, minor scattered spotting and foxing, title-page creased and slightly spotted, upper blank margin trimmed short touching or slightly shaving headline in a few instances; blue staining of lower corner from gathering 3L to end, pale dampstaining to lower margin of final ca. 15 leaves. ----

RARE FIRST ILLUSTRATED EDITION, SECOND ISSUE of Bodenstein's text (first published the year before, see Sudhoff 69), with the title reprinted and the preliminaries increased from 9 to 14 leaves. The text closely follows the 1564 authorised edition, but is enhanced with 35 woodcut illustrations, mostly by Jost Amman. Paracelsus' works in five books on surgery and the tratment of infectious diseases including syphilis, was edited by Adam von Bodenstein. He originally planned the publication of the the text only in Frankfurt timely to the autumn book fair, but this was abandoned possibly because of conflicts with the Frankfurt editors and privilege owners of parts of the text and so the book was published in Strassburg by Messerschmidt (see Sudhoff, p.96). The unauthorized reprint appeared the following year in Frankfurt by Feyerabend and Hüter (Sudhoff 69) and again - with new title - in the following year. Bodenstein was one of the most influential translators of the works of Paracelsus. He published over 40 Paracelsian titles from 1560, which had a tremendous influence on the later development of Paracelsianism. Since he published these texts without the consent of the Basel medical faculty, he was expelled from 'Facultet & Consilio' of the Basel University. References: VD 16 P 462; Sudhoff 81. - Visit our website to see more images!

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