L12402

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Lot 179
  • 179

Guericke, Otto von.

Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 GBP
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Description

  • Experimenta nova (ut vocantur) Magdeburgica de vacuo spatio. Amsterdam: J. Jansson van Waesberge, 1672
  • paper
First edition, folio (314 x 200mm.), additional engraved title, engraved portrait frontispiece, 2 folding plates, 20 illustrations in the text, 7 full-page, errata leaf at end, contemporary mottled calf gilt, portrait slightly browned, minor wear to spine

Provenance

Michele Colombo, early ownership inscription

Literature

Horblit 44; Partington 2:514-516

Condition

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Guericke produced at Magdeburg an air-pump able to create a vacuum, one of the great inventions of the seventeenth century. The first account of this was published in 1657 by the Jesuit Caspar Schott. However, the present work is the first full publication of Guericke's Experimenta. Boyle and Hooke bought a copy of it for the Royal Society on 13 October 1672 for 10 shillings (Diary, p.10).