Milestones of Science Books

GREW, Nehemiah; BOYLE, Robert; LEEUWENHOEK, Anton van; [LE VASSEUR, Louis, editor].

Recueil d'experiences et observations sur le combat, qui procede du mélange des corps. Sur les saveurs, sur les odeurs, sur le sang, sur le lait, &c. Tres-curieux & utile aux medecins & à ceux qui s'appliquent à la recherche de la nature, des qualitez & des proprietez de toutes sortes de corps.

Paris: chez Estienne Michallet, 1679.

1st Edition. Hardcover. 12mo - over 6¾ - 7¾" tall. Very Good. Item #003714

12mo (158 x 86 mm). Three parts in one volume. [16], 262, [2] pp., including privilege leaf at the end, bound without the engraved frontispiece and the engraved plate. Signatures: ã⁶, e², A-Y⁶. Contemporary sheepskin, spine with gilt decoration, binding very worn (spine leather in two comparment gone, joints split but cords holding, corners scuffed, leather rubbed). Text with light even browning some minor spotting, first 3 leaves including title browned at margins and with paper chipping (not affecting text). A fair copy, unfortunately incomplete. ----

VERY RARE FIRST EDITION of a collection of papers by three of the foremost natural philosophers of the 17th century. The editor, Louis Le Vasseur, describes the three articles in his introduction and explains their inclusion in the work. Grew's article, originally published in English, has been translated to French of the importance of his experiments. Boyle's treatise includes information on 24 experiments, 12 dealing with flavors, and 12 dealing with odors. Le Vasseur explains that he decided to include Leeuwenhoek's article because his experiments and observations on blood and milk are worthy of the curiosity of scholars. The treatise by Leeuwenhoek contains five articles written between April 1674 and February 1678, providing observations for experiments conducted in April, June and July 1674, August 1675, and February 1678. The fifth article, apparently unrecorded in Dobell, may be published here for the first time. In these articles, Leeuwenhoek describes in particular the deformability and agglutination of red blood cells. This book is rare: according to online records, only two copies have sold at auction in the last 45 years. References: NLM/Krivatsy 4991; Wellcome III, 164.
Content: Experiences de Mr. Grew, de la Société royale de Londres, docteur en medecine. Sur le combat qui arrive du mélange de diverses liqueurs avec toutes fortes de corps. Experiences curieuses de l'illustre Mr. Boyle, sur les saveurs et sur les odeurs. Observations faites avec le microscope sur le sang et sur le lait et communiquées à Mr. Oldenbourg, secretaire de la Société royale de Londres, par Mr. Leuwenhoeck de Delft en Hollande. - Visit our website to see more images!

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