Agricola, Georgius | The only collected edition of Agricola to include De re metallica, Basel, 1657

Agricola, Georgius

De re metallica Libri XII.… De animantibus subterraneis. Lib. I. De ortu & causis subterraneorum. Lib. V. De natura eorum quæ effluunt ex terra. Lib. IV. De natura fossilium. Lib. X. De veteribus & novis metallis. Lib. II. Bermannus sive De re metallica, dialogus. Lib. I. Cum indicibus diversis, quicquid in opere tractatum est, pulchrè demonstrantibus. Basel: Emanuelis König, 1657

Folio (332 x 206 mm). Woodcut vignette on title-page, 270 woodcut illustrations (many full-page), with folding plate of volvelle and component parts (but lacking folding plate of measuring rods); title-page extended, browned throughout, sometimes severely. Modern half green morocco over green buckram, portion of original spine preserved in a mylar envelope hinged to the rear pastedown.

Fourth Latin edition of De re metallica, here published with other works and the “only edition of the collected works in which De re metallica is included” (Hoover).

REFERENCES

Agricola-Bibliographie 3.6.7.6; Hoover 20

PROVENANCE

University of Chicago Library (bookplate and withdrawn stamp, discreet blind-stamp on title-page and elsewhere; Christie’s London, 2 July 1994, lot 374, “Rare Science Duplicates, resulting from the merger of the University of Chicago Library and the John Crerar Library”)