{"title":"Illustrated Science","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn antiquarian collection devoted to the foundations of scientific inquiry, natural history, and technological advancement. Serving as the empirical counterpart to our illustrated wonders, these rare books and early printed treatises trace the development of mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and botanical taxonomy. From the meticulous observation of flora and fauna to comprehensive manuals of eighteenth-century engineering, the selection emphasizes significant editions that propelled human knowledge. A bibliographically grounded view of how early modern thinkers measured, ordered, and transformed their environment.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"arte-magica-annichilata-maffei","title":"Arte Magica Annichilata","description":"\u003cp\u003eLibri Tre. Con Un'Appendice. Rare 1754 treatise, Maffei’s reasoned reply to witchcraft panic. Magic Art Annihilated: Three Books with an Appendix Comtemporary Cardboard. Verona Antonio Andreoni Pp. [1] f.e., [10], 328, [6], [1] e.p. First edition. Contemporary paperboard binding with spine decorated in a printed pattern and manuscript title. Woodcut printer’s device on the title page, inhabited woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces.  Clean copy with wide margins. Some minor pagination errors, but complete. Excellent condition. First edition Third work by Maffei aimed at demolishing superstitious thought through the use of reason. There are sections dedicated to witchcraft, magic in ancient Greece and Rome, as well as pacts with the devil. Printed in Verona, it is a direct response to Girolamo Tartarotti and a continuation of the debate following the sensational 1749 execution of the elderly nun Maria Renata Singer on charges of witchcraft. It marks a pivotal moment in the intellectual history of witchcraft, touching upon demonology, theology, and Enlightenment rationalism. By documenting the transition from superstition to reason, it became an influential work in the analysis of magical belief and its decline.  The preface frames the treatise as a defense against superstition, written in opposition to Tartarotti’s Apologia del Congresso Notturno delle Lammie (1749). In that work, Tartarotti argued that witchcraft was an organized religion descended from the Roman cults of Diana and Erodiade, a thesis so controversial that it drew the attention of the Venetian Inquisition. This rebuttal dismantles such claims, emphasizing that witchcraft beliefs were illusory and destructive, leading to unjust trials and the persecution of women for imaginary crimes. Its systematic structure dismantles “proofs” for magic across philosophy, history, and scripture: refutes the existence of magic, sorcery, pacts with demons, and misuses of patristic sources, challenges arguments based on classical authorities, including Greek historians, poets, Pliny, and Platonic philosophers, uses Biblical and theological reasoning, addressing figures such as Pharaoh’s magicians, Simon Magus, and the Witch of Endor, alongside New Testament references and demonological traditions. Maffei in the appendix responds to critics point by point, particularly on disputed quotations attributed to St. Jerome, and engages adversaries such as Tartarotti directly. The Verona imprint, rather than Venice, suggests a smaller provincial circulation, enhancing its rarity. A bold Enlightenment voice, Maffei skewers superstition with scholarly flair, clashing head-on with Tartarotti in a duel of footnotes and fury.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fenice Antiquaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46922137108715,"sku":"0001202566600","price":700.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/022_005_bright.jpg?v=1758839801"},{"product_id":"traicte-du-tabac-johann-neander-1626","title":"Traicté du Tabac, ou Nicotiane, Panacée, Pétun: Autrement Herbe à la Reyne","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan data-sheets-root=\"1\"\u003eAvec sa préparation \u0026amp; son usage, pour le plus part des indispositions du corps humain, ensemble les diverses façons de le falsifier, \u0026amp; les marques pour le recognoistrè: Composé premierement en Latin par Iean Neander, Médecin à Leyden (...). 1626 2nd Edition Treatise on Tobacco, or Nicotiana, the Universal Remedy, called also Petun, or the Queen’s Herb. Containing its preparation and use for most ailments of the human body, together with the different ways it may be adulterated (...). Pp. [1] f.e., [8], 342, [2], [1] r.e.; 9 total engraved plates of which [7] outside the numeration and 2 within it. Woodcut ornament on the title page, woodcut initials and decorations. Rebacked in old full parchment with (discolored) title at the spine; endpapers renewed in modern times. A slight peculiarity is perceptible in the frontispiece’s impression and paper, though not in a way that allows any firm conclusion. While a restoration or an anastatic replacement on old paper cannot be ruled out, there is no definite evidence for it. Consultations with a few colleagues did not yield agreement. Regardless, the volume is overall uniform and attractive, with charming fresh plates. Reference: Graesse IV, 652; Waring II, 709; Ferchl 379; Leclerc, Bibliotheca Americana , 407; Sabine XII, 576. 7 x 4 1\/5 x 1 French Tobacco as a miracle herb, with images of Native American traditional knowledge, Persian pipes recorded in a Western book for the first time, and botanical beauties. Second emission of the first French translation by Jacques Veyras (the first emission was issued only a few months before, in October 1625, and it is extremely rare, being its most recent sale recorded on Rare Book Hub from 1977). The first absolute Latin edition was printed in 1622 and it is apparently less pursued than the French one(s). The book presents a study of tobacco and its medicinal applications, firmly rejecting its use only for mere pleasure and insisting on its medical benefits. Its illustrative content, consisting of nine plates in total, features botanical plates, extremely rare images of Native Americans cultivating and curing tobacco, alongside some of the first depictions of long pipes and the Persian kalian (basically a hookah, or shisha, or narghile). This second Lyon printing retains a splendid series of engraved plates, among the earliest European depictions of tobacco and its worldwide culture. The images, executed in the clear, linear style characteristic of early scientific illustration, blend the instructional clarity of a herbal with the inquisitiveness of an ethnographic record. They are conventionally attributed to Moses van Uyttenbroeck, though the French imprint does not name the artist. The first 3 charming botanical plates include “Tabac mâle” and “Tabac femelle,” rendered as botanical portraits accompanied by verses beneath each figure. They are followed by 3 especially notable scenes portraying Native Americans cultivating and curing tobacco, showing the successive stages of cultivation, drying, and preparation of the leaves, with meticulous detail of the tools, baskets, and fermentation setups employed. The final 3 engravings, again particularly remarkable, present the Persian kalian together with various pipes, representing one of the earliest printed portrayals of such instruments in Central Europe. The engraver’s technique, sharp in outline, softly shaded, and marked by a touch of naivete, imbues the series with a distinctly 17th-century atmosphere, part scientific treatise, part decorative art. After a dedication by the printer, the text begins with the translator Veyras’s address “Au Lecteur,” followed by Neander’s structured chapters on the names and origins of tobacco, its various types and qualities, the proper seasons for planting and harvest, and the detailed preparation method known as 'Caldo' (p. 26 and following), a medical potion based on fermented drink, ginger powder, and other spices. The resulting product was stored in closed containers, and tobacco leaves could be dipped in it to obtain a special “vigor”. Subsequent sections outline tobacco's properties as a medicinal herb, antidote, and universal remedy, enriched with anecdotes from the Americas, Europe and Middle East. In fact, Neander was firmly against the recreational use of tobacco, viewing habitual consumption as both physiologically harmful and socially risky, much like alcohol. He endorsed its use solely for medical purposes, including the treatment of wounds, ulcers, and various other ailments. He even recommended tobacco as an eye remedy, claiming it could restore sharp vision in elderly patients. He regarded tobacco as a remedy for almost any non-fatal disease, attributing to the tobacco plant amazing qualities, to a point to name it “divine herb” and “holy grass”. Neander highlighted the countrymen’s leading role in bringing tobacco from the Americas and advised the use of long pipes (like the Persona and Native American ones) to let the smoke cool before inhalation. The text goes on presenting recipes to treat headaches, coughs, asthma, gout, constipation, stones, ulcers, birth pains, etc. In short, tobacco was experienced as a real remedy. Jean Neander (1596-1630), physician and botanist from Bremen (Germany), but also also a philosopher, writer and poet. He devoted much of his work to exploring the medicinal qualities of plants, especially tobacco. Flirtatious Tabac mâle and Tabac femelle, Native Americans expertly cultivating and curing leaves, and exotic Persian pipes making their European debut. Neander, ever the serious physician, shuns recreational puffing, praising tobacco as a miracle herb for nearly every non-fatal ailment. Sprinkled with recipes, anecdotes from three continents, and illustrations that charm with naïve precision, this book is a fascinating fusion of Native American knowledge and European medical knowledge (or imagination?), a jewel for collectors and dreamers alike.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47138687353067,"sku":"66-1626--2800-892-2025","price":2800.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/066_008.jpg?v=1771135690"},{"product_id":"de-re-militari-flavius-vegetius-renatus-1553","title":"De re militari libri quatuor","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan data-sheets-root=\"1\"\u003eSexti Iulii frontini viri consularis de Strategematis libri totidem. Aeliani de instruendis Aciebus liber unus. Modesti de vocabulis rei militaris liber unus. Item pictuae belliae cxx. passim Vegetio adiecae. Collata sunt omnia ad antiquos codices (...) 1553 Four Books on the Art of War by Flavius Vegetius Renatus pp. [1] f.e., [8], 279, [1], [1] r.e. Bound in contemporary rigid vellum in very good condition; two red leather labels on the spine with gilt title. The upper margin of the entire volume suffered damp (possibly mold) damage, which has been carefully and expertly restored, with repairs where necessary. The flaw affects the running title, which nonetheless is always complete; the last part of the volume is more affected than the rest. Some pages are misnumbered, but the quires are correct. With 124 fresh woodcuts in the pagination, of which 121 are full-page, and two woodcut Pegasus printer’s devices on the title and final leaf. Although the restored damage in the upper margins is clearly a defect, the volume retains considerable charm, thanks to the otherwise fine condition of the plates. 12 1\/4 x 8 1\/2 x 3\/4 Latin Over a hundred Roman war machines (including incredible diving bells) charming readers for centuries. Early edition of one of the most famous military guides ever written. Drawing on earlier Republican and early Imperial sources, Vegetius distilled Roman military practice into a clear, systematic treatise emphasizing discipline, training, logistics, and strategic prudence. Rediscovered in the Middle Ages, his work became a foundational text for commanders from Charlemagne to Machiavelli, shaping European military thought for over a millennium, well beyond the introduction of gunpowder. First printed as an incunable in Utrecht in 1473, and subsequently in numerous editions that testify to its enduring success, it appears here in the first edition printed in France by Christian Wechel, the prominent Parisian publisher. In this issue, Vegetius’s renowned military treatise is published together with the works of the Roman strategists Frontinus and Aelianus. The text and 124 brilliant woodcuts together form one of the most complete accounts of classical military practice as employed during the height of the Roman Empire, a system foundational to its power. This richly illustrated edition includes detailed representations of ancient siege engines and war machines, and notably features seven early depictions of diving bells, weighted suits, and related underwater apparatus. A landmark in the history of the art of war, military engineering, and classical scholarship. Vegetius’s work is divided into four books, each systematically exploring the foundations of Roman warfare. The first treats the recruitment, training, and discipline of troops; the second, the structure and service of the legions; the third, strategy and battlefield tactics; and the fourth, siegecraft and fortifications. The accompanying 124 woodcuts are among the most striking of the sixteenth century. They present, in remarkable detail, the design and operation of ancient war machinery (battering rams, catapults, siege towers, and portable bridges) set against carefully drawn camp and battlefield settings. Of particular note are seven extraordinary illustrations showing diving bells, weighted suits, and other underwater contrivances, visual evidence of early experimentation with submersion. Other plates portray fortified cities, defensive walls, and the geometric layout of Roman military camps, as well as scenes of naval combat and the disciplined maneuvers of soldiers in formation. The figures of standard-bearers, trumpeters, and engineers, rendered with precision and rhythm (but interestingly dressed à la mode of the sixteenth century), complement Vegetius’s emphasis on the harmony between order, training, and mechanical invention. Flavius Vegetius Renatus (late 4th–early 5th century AD) was a Roman bureaucrat and military theorist. Little is known of his life, though he appears to have served in the imperial administration, perhaps under Theodosius I. An all-time blockbuster of military warfare, with over 100 theatrical plates. Vegetius managed to make war machines fascinating even to the most peaceful soul: catapults, underwater diving bells, siege towers - all choreographed like a Roman ballet of strategy and spectacle.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47138687418603,"sku":"68-1553--4400-1735-2025","price":4400.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/068_010.jpg?v=1764569408"},{"product_id":"der-selbstlehrende-feuerwerker-c-blondel-1816","title":"Der selbstlehrende Feuerwerker","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan data-sheets-root=\"1\"\u003eOder gründliche Anweisung zur Luftfeuerwerkskunst für Liebhaber (...) 1816 Second edition The Self-Teaching Fireworker, or Thorough Instruction in the Art of Recreational Fireworks for Enthusiasts (...) Pp. [1] f.e., XIV, 190, V folded plates, [1] r.e. Second half of quire R2 unopened. Original publisher mute hardcover paper boards, lightly soiled; handwritten library label at teh front cover; discolored spine. Internally in very good condition, plates clean and sharp, with strong impressions. A complete and attractive copy. 7 1\/4 x 4 1\/4 x 3\/4 German A sparkling fusion of chemistry and theatre in a rare fireworks manual. A work of both technical substance and ceremonial imagination, Blondel’s manual captures the moment when pyrotechnics shifted from guild tradition to scientific craft, and from improvised festivities to carefully designed theatrical environments. Conceived as a self-instruction manual, it bridges artisanal practice, chemical understanding, and festive design, offering the amateur and professional fireworker alike a coherent system for constructing rockets, wheels, fountains, and scenic displays. Blondel also preserves the intellectual lineage of his craft by including a rare historical bibliography of works on fireworks and artillery from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries (pp. X-XIV). Equally revealing is the author’s attention to ephemeral architecture. Since the seventeenth century, “fiery letters” were incorporated into Namensfahnen, illuminated name flagpoles bearing the initials or arms of those honored in public celebrations. Blondel preferred the elegant curves of the Romana rotunda script for such displays. By the eighteenth century, rising costs prompted fireworkers to design reusable scenic structures: sturdier frameworks, modular components, and papier-mâché ornaments that could be recombined for different occasions. Blondel advocates precisely such a repertory, encouraging builders to maintain stocks of prefabricated architectural elements (columns, arches, trophies, arms, reliefs) thus uniting economy, spectacle, and artistic flexibility. Blondel’s manual unfolds as a complete system of pyrotechnic instruction, uniting chemistry, mechanics, and festive design into a coherent whole. The text opens with detailed explanations of the fundamental materials of fireworks (saltpeter, sulfur, metallic powders) and proceeds to give precise recipes for producing flames in various colors, from the classic white and red to more delicate blues and greens. Blondel is meticulous in outlining methods for mixing, pressing, and safely loading such compositions, always attentive to the balance of power and finesse required to produce reliable effects. From these foundations he moves to the construction of specific devices: rockets of different calibers, Roman candles, fire pots, fountains, and the elaborate wheels and scenic mechanisms that animated public celebrations. This textual instruction finds its visual counterpart in the five large folding copperplates that accompany the volume, each transforming Blondel’s methods into clear, instructive diagrams. The first plate presents the essential instruments of rocket manufacture arranged with precise proportional measurements, effectively providing a scale model of the workshop itself. The second plate turns to the craftsman at work, showing the filling and mounting of rockets, the racks that steady them, and various mechanical arrangements. More complex ground-based structures appear in the third plate. The fourth and fifth plate shift from mechanics to spectacle, illustrating pyrotechnic wheels, cross-shaped constructions, geometric fire wheels, and scenographic composition of the letter \"A\". Taken together, the text and plates form a comprehensive manual of early nineteenth-century pyrotechnics, remarkable for its clarity, ambition, and the seamless interplay between scientific precision and theatrical imagination. Fireworks mean celebration! This rare practical showbook, where chemistry meets theatre, captures that spirit, its folding plates, lucid recipes, and curious machines making this \"explosive\" manual a small triumph of science that sparkles.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47138687615211,"sku":"74-1816--400-246-2025","price":450.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/074_013.jpg?v=1764544747"},{"product_id":"coulomb-theorie-machines-simples-1821","title":"Théorie des machines simples","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the foundational texts of modern mechanical engineering, this work represents Coulomb's prize-winning investigation into the theory of simple machines. The study was originally presented to the Paris Academy of Sciences in 1781, but this 1821 edition represents the first collected edition, in book form, of all major Coulomb's contributions in mechanics. Complete of 10 illustrative plates, the volume consolidates Coulomb's groundbreaking research on friction, mechanical advantage, and the fundamental principles governing simple machines.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47811295969515,"sku":"77-1821--1800-448-2025","price":1800.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/0077_IMG_6805.jpg?v=1771135623"},{"product_id":"frezier-traite-feux-artifice-1747","title":"Traitè des feux d'artifice pour le spectacle","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis expanded and revised edition of Frézier’s treatise represents the most complete and practically oriented study of artificial fireworks produced in the early modern period. First issued in 1706 with a smaller suite of plates, the work was substantially reworked after the appearance of an unauthorized edition printed at The Hague in 1741 by Jean Neaulme. Prompted by this pirated version, Frézier prepared the present corrected and augmented edition, refining the text and enlarging its scope. Far from a purely military manual, the treatise marks a decisive shift toward fireworks as an art of spectacle and public celebration. While grounded in technical precision, it addresses fireworks as instruments of wonder, ceremony, and civic display. Contemporary commentators rightly noted Frézier’s breadth of expertise: a military engineer responsible for fortifications in the Caribbean, he nonetheless produced a work that treats recreational pyrotechnics with unprecedented seriousness and clarity. The result is a landmark text that helped redefine fireworks from tools of war into vehicles of artistic and theatrical expression.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47811296067819,"sku":"92-1747--1050-680-2025","price":1050.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/0092_IMG_68221.jpg?v=1771034674"},{"product_id":"morel-traite-pratique-feux-artifice-1800","title":"Traité pratique des feux d'artifice","description":"\u003cp\u003eExtremely rare first edition of this important treatise on pyrotechnics, which occupies a pivotal position in the history of fireworks, documenting the moment when the craft moved decisively beyond its early modern foundations and embraced the analytical rigor of science. Issued during the French Revolutionary period and printed by the Firmin Didot in An VIII (1800), the work brings together domains that earlier authors had tended to keep separate. Military artillery, maritime and terrestrial warfare, civic celebrations, domestic entertainments, and theatrical effects are treated as parts of a single, coherent discipline. Rather than privileging monumental architectural displays alone, the author emphasizes mechanical precision, chemical control, and repeatable processes. Fireworks are approached as instruments governed by measurable forces, controlled reactions, and carefully timed effects. This rationalized outlook marks a clear departure from Baroque spectacle and places the book at the threshold of the chemical revolution in pyrotechnics. At the same time, the inclusion of table fireworks and stage effects reflects a widening of scope, acknowledging fireworks not only as tools of war or public ceremony, but also as agents of intimacy, illusion, and theatrical drama. The treatise stands as a natural successor to Frézier while anticipating the later refinements of the Ruggieri tradition. Its attention to theatrical applications makes it especially significant for historians of performance, stagecraft, and the technical arts, while its military sections anchor it firmly within the artillery literature of the period. The result is a synthesis that captures pyrotechnics at a moment of transformation - from inherited craft to disciplined, systematized science.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMorel, A. M. Th.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTraité pratique des feux d'artifice\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePour le spectacle et pour la guerre, avec les petits feux de table, et l'Artifice à l'usage des Théatres.\u003cbr\u003eShow translation \u003cbr\u003e1800, Paris, Firmin Didot\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst Edition\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47811296100587,"sku":"93-1800--380-150-2025","price":380.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/0093_IMG_6829.jpg?v=1771034721"},{"product_id":"antique-botanical-herbarium-1880","title":"Italian botanical Herbarium, 51 specimens","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis remarkable collection of 51 botanical herbarium specimens presents each specimen meticulously laid, pressed and mounted on period paper with protective tissue overlays, bearing handwritten Latin identifications and \"Botanica\" stamps characteristic of academic botanical practice circa 1880-1920. The collection's uniformity and systematic presentation suggest it originated from a single educational or research institution, possibly compiled for teaching purposes or private scholarly study. The specimens retain exceptional preservation, with many displaying intact root systems, stems, foliage, and delicate flower structures, a testament to the collector's expertise and the period's rigorous botanical methodology.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47811296461035,"sku":"99---850-0-","price":850.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/099_008.jpg?v=1771135589"},{"product_id":"erbario-piccolo-900esco-1900","title":"Italian small Herbarium, 12 specimens","description":"\u003cp\u003eA charming early 20th-century Italian botanical collection of 12 specimens. The word “Agraria” on the cover leaf, together with the note on the wrapping paper, leads to think of a small creation intended for a school or teaching context (such as the practical schools or the “agricultural middle schools” of the period), or of a technical environment linked to outreach and dissemination, including the activity of itinerant agricultural chairs. While this small work captures the scientific spirit that pervaded the agricultural institutions of the early 1900s, it also preserves the charm of the craftsmanship and the dedication involved in its production.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47811296592107,"sku":"103-1923--215-0-","price":215.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/103_006.jpg?v=1771035481"},{"product_id":"moore-a-treatise-on-domestic-pigeons-176","title":"A Treatise on Domestic Pigeons","description":"\u003cp\u003eComprehending all the different species known in England (...); with the Method of Building and Furnishing a Lost, Area, Trap (...). The Generation of Pigeons (...) and Progress of the Egg. (...) Remarks on their Diet (...) . The fraudulent Methods (...).  1765 First Edition, second issue Pp. [2], [1] illustration, xvi, 144, [2], [13] plates London C. Barry Contemporary full leather binding with some peeling and 5 raised bands on the spine; gilt greatly faded; red spines. Back cover joint with slight damage; front cover joint splitting, but sound, despite a slight detachment at the bottom of the first pages (see images).  First free endpaper detached. Exlibris inside the cover of Robert D'Arcy, Earl of Holdernesse, with the coat of arms of the House of D'Arcy. Second modern exlibris on the first free endpaper with an image of a bird and the name Erich Horstkötter. Ink stain to the outer margin of the first plate and title page. Some woodcut ornaments and tailpieces. 13 refined etchings depict different pigeon breeds in a vivid and engaging manner. Despite the binding defects, a beautiful, rare copy with interesting provenance. First edition, second issue of this Treatise, which stands as the first English book devoted to pigeons, and as a work of marked rarity. In late 18th cent England dovecots were extremely trending among affluent property owners and belonged to a wider culture of improvement, breeding, and close practical observation of domestic animals. This volume presents a comprehensive manual on pigeon breeding and care, gathering all known English varieties and weighing their respective qualities with the method of an experienced fancier. The book explains the construction and management of housing - lofts, traps, and related arrangements - together with breeding methods used by expert breeders. It also treats the biology of pigeons, including the development of the egg, and extends its instruction to diet, common diseases and their treatment, and fraudulent practices in the pigeon trade. Intended alike for experienced breeders and beginners, the work joins practical guidance to a broader natural-historical curiosity, while its illustrations, drawn from life, render the birds in a vivid manner and with accurate detail. This copy also carries an interesting provenance, described below. John Moore (d. 1737) privately printed this work with the title Columbarium in 1735 in a very small batch. It was later published in 1765 under the title A Treatise on Domestic Pigeons in an edition of only 750 copies (to which the current one belongs). This second printing was published anonymously by a practical pigeon fancier. However, it is an exact reproduction of Moore's Columbarium of 1735 with a longer title and the addition of the engraved plates. According to the vulgata, the present volume is considered the second issue of the first edition by Moore, but some scholars disagree, preferring to attribute the volume to an unknown author.  The book is an extensive treatise on pigeons that surveys the breeds found in England, outlining their defining traits and standards of quality. It provides practical instruction on constructing and equipping lofts, selecting and breeding desirable birds, and managing their feeding and health, including remedies for common illnesses. The work also examines reproduction and egg formation, warns against deceptive sales practices, and was designed for both seasoned enthusiasts and newcomers. A detailed account of the prized Almond Tumbler gives particular prominence to one of the most admired varieties of the period. It is supported by 13 detailed, life-based etchings representing different pigeon breeds in a vivid and engaging manner, as well as 1 dynamic illustration of a dovecot with a mouse and a cat (facing the title page). It also includes digressions on folklore that reflect the cultural limitations of the period, such as on pp. 140–141, where the Prophet Muhammad is described as having trained pigeons to appear to whisper divine revelations in his ear.  The volume contains two ex libris, the first of which offers notable provenance, indicating ownership by Robert D'Arcy (or Darcy. 4th Earl of Holderness (1718-1778), British diplomat and politician, who served in Venice and the Hague, on top of several roles in England under King George II and III. Given his life dates, he was most likely the first owner of the book. Notably, during the remodeling of his property Arbour Hill farm in 1760, a dovecot was added to provide fresh eggs and meat, as per the trends of the period. Curiously, he collaborated with the musician Handel in the production of the opera Deidamia. No relevant info has been traced about the second, modern exlibris. Pigeons step boldly into 18th-century England with wit and swagger, at last receiving the attention their curious intelligence deserves. This rare first English treatise - here in its first edition - pairs lively, life-based etchings of breeds with a playful dovecot scene (cat and mouse included). Its aristocratic provenance becomes an additional quiet delight, gently enchanting the reader (and the fortunate collector) appreciating the charm and dignity of these curious birds.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48097364672747,"sku":"110-1765--1850-1044-46101.7166666667","price":1850.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/00110_IMG_7352copy.jpg?v=1776208879"},{"product_id":"bockler-theatrum-machinarum-1661","title":"Theatrum Machinarum Novum","description":"\u003cp\u003eDas ist: Neu-vermehrter Schauplatz der mechanischen Kunsten, Handelt von Allerhand- Wasser- Wind- Ross- Gewicht- und Hand-Muhlen Wie dieselbige zu dem Frucht-Mahlen\/ Papyr- Pulver- Stampff- Segen- Bohren- Walcken- Mangen und dergleichen anzuordnen. New Theater of Machines, i.e. Newly Enlarged Survey of the Mechanical Arts, treating of various water-, wind-, horse-, weight-, and hand-driven mills, and their application to grinding grain, papermaking, stamp-milling, sawing, boring, fulling, pressing. 1661 First Edition Pp. [1] f.e., (12), 68, 154 plates Nürnberg (Nuremberg) Paulus Fursten; Christoff Gerhard Contemporary full vellum with yapp edges, five sewing stations visible on spine, smooth spine with early handwritten label, and bookplate at inner front cover. Frontispiece restored at the back with three very small pieces of museum grade tape to prevent detachment. Some stains and surface soiling at the back cover. Wormwork at front inner hinge; small marginal worm trace affecting the rear endpapers and last two plates. Small restoration at the lower margin of p. 61 and small tears at the lower margins of plates 20-25. An incredibly  fresh, wide-margined copy in excellent condition. The Theatrum Machinarum Novum belongs to the distinguished tradition of illustrated machine book that flourished across Europe from the mid-sixteenth century through the Baroque period. That tradition was initiated by Ramelli's Le diverse et artificiose machine (1588) and continued by Besson, de Caus, and Zonca before reaching its German apogee in this work. The book presents Mechanica not merely as artisanal practice but as a noble art grounded in geometry and physics, balancing speculative thought with practical application. The result is a publication that belongs equally to the history of mechanics, architecture, and visual knowledge: a Baroque machine theater in which technical instruction, engraved invention, and intellectual self-definition converge with unusual coherence. The frontispiece presents an allegorical introduction to the subject. At left stands Archimedes, personifying Studium (study), while at right a mechanic or engineer (Mechanicus) embodies Labor (labor). Beyond a drawn curtain unfolds an animated industrial landscape of mills, aqueducts, and water-powered machines, all framed within a classical architectural setting. The preface defines Mechanica as a noble art derived from geometry and physics, divided into speculative and practical branches. The text (pp. 1–68) comprises an introduction to mechanical principles, followed by a systematic commentary on each plate. The 154 engraved plates constitute a comprehensive repertory of motive-power technology. They treat water-, wind-, horse-, weight-, and hand-driven mills, hydraulic pumps, fire-engines, Archimedean screws, and paper-making machinery. The designs are largely drawn from Böckler’s own inventions, with additional material derived from Jacopo Strada’s Kunstliche Abriss (1617–18). Appended is the Saxon Mühlordnung of 1568. Among the machines illustrated is an attempted design for a perpetual motion device (p. 59). The final plate is of particular significance, offering one of the earliest printed accounts of a fire-engine associated with a known maker and date (Hautsch, 1658). It describes large siphons of copper, brass, and iron, devised to project water for extinguishing fires. These machines employed dual chambers to ensure continuous pumping and were capable of raising water to a height of 80–100 feet, a remarkable achievement for the period. Both fixed and portable models are recorded, the latter sufficiently light to be operated by a single individual. Constructed and tested in Nuremberg in 1658 by Joannes Hautsch, they represent among the earliest practical fire-engines capable of reaching rooftops, contributing materially to his reputation in mechanical invention. While the mechanics and physics completely escape this reader, the engravings are as captivating as scenes from a grand Baroque theater. Each page bursts with imagination - mills, wheels, siphons, and screws transformed into works of art - whose sheer beauty and ingenuity enchant the eye. One doesn’t need to grasp the science to be utterly swept away by the spectacle of invention.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48097366311147,"sku":"129-1661--5200-2154.24-46121.9298611111","price":5200.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/00129_IMG_7541copy.jpg?v=1776193300"},{"product_id":"porcacchi-l-isole-piu-famose-1572","title":"L'isole più famose del mondo","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe most famous islands of the world. 1572 First Edition Pp. [1] f.e., [24], 117, [3] , [1] r.e. Venetia (Venice) Simon Galignani Modern mute vellum binding with modern endpapers. Architectural frontispiece with putti and statues; early manuscript ownership note in ink at the lower margin “Joannis Cesaris Scholaris.” Occasional marginal staining, but the copy is generally fresh and clean, with wide margins. Small tear with loss to the margin of the first two leaves; the lower margins of the same leaves worn. A small ink stain at the Dedication, with a minute hole touching the text but not affecting legibility. Leaves a–a4 and b–b2 (Tavola di tutte le cose) misbound after quire b3 (Prohemio), so that the proemio is interrupted by the index, though complete. The final leaf of the introduction is blank and shows a small wormhole in the lower inner corner; a similar defect appears on p. 1, both with early restoration. Tear in the lower margin of p. 11 restored. Very slight restorations at the inner margins of a few other leaves at the beginning of the volume, likely executed at the time of rebinding. Woodcut initials and tailpieces. Page 51 misnumbered 50. Tear with small loss at the lower corner of p. 57, well clear of the text. Early manuscript note in Italian in the margin of p. 102 \"Animale di stravagante figura\". Printer's device at the last leaf. The famous 30 engraved copper plates with geographical maps are fresh and in great condition. A complete copy, in a modern binding, internally in excellent condition. L'isole piu famose del mondo stands at the point where Renaissance humanism, cartography, and the literature of discovery briefly converged in a new form. It is the most influential Italian 'isolario' (book about islands) of the sixteenth century, and the first book of its kind to be illustrated with beautiful copper-engraved maps. Conceived by Tommaso Porcacchi, a Florentine humanist and protege of Cosimo I de' Medici, as a comprehensive geographical and historical survey of the world's notable islands, it moves from the familiar shores of the Mediterranean to the newly discovered territories of the Americas and the Pacific. In doing so, it transforms the older isolario tradition from a mainly derivative descriptive genre into a more ambitious work of historical geography, one that Porcacchi explicitly grounded in both classical authorities and reports gathered from travellers and mariners. That claim, unusual in the genre, is part of what gives the book its intellectual modernity. The edition also matters as a landmark in the visual history of geography. Its maps were engraved by Girolamo Porro of Padua, whose fine copperwork gave the volume a precision and elegance unmatched by the woodcut isolarii of Bordone and his predecessors. What distinguishes this form in particular is the way its engraved apparatus carries new geographic knowledge into a format long associated with inherited cosmography. The New World material is especially significant, above all the reduced map of North America derived from Paolo Forlani's 1565 prototype, which helped secure the book's lasting place in the history of cartography. Issued before the enlarged 1576 edition, it preserves the work at the moment of its original conceptual clarity: a humanist survey of islands as sites of history, empire, commerce, and marvel, shaped for readers living in the immediate aftermath of Mediterranean conflict and transoceanic expansion. The work opens with a dedication to Don Giovanni d'Austria, Admiral of the Holy League, and a prefatory Proemio by Porcacchi. The volume presents 30 maps within the text and detailed descriptions of islands from the Mediterranean to the newly discovered territories, treating their locations, characteristics, inhabitants, and historical significance. The New World section includes descriptions and maps of Hispaniola (identified as the first island discovered by Columbus, where gold apparently sprouts from the soil, and the strange iguanas live) and Cuba. The Mondo Nuovo (New World) map incorporates a reduced version of Paolo Forlani's landmark 1565 map of North America - the first printed map to depict the continent as a single geographical entity. Porro's reduction shows the Strait of Anian, the Sierra Nevada named for the first time, part of the course of the Colorado traced from Coronado's expedition, and Ochelaga, the Iroquois village around which Montreal would be built, placed in the Land of Labrador, while Antiquarius Japan floats in the middle of the Pacific in the inherited Gastaldi tradition. The early manuscript note in Italian in the margin of p. 102 points at the description of a strange animal with a pouch on its belly, most likely a South American marsupial. The descriptions of Indigenous traditions are shaped by disturbing bias and tales (as it happens for the native populations of other islands throughout the book). Porcacchi also includes a description of the Moluccas drawn from accounts of the spice trade, of Sri Lanka as Taprobana, treated as an island of almost supernatural abundance, of England and Scotland in separate entries, and of Iceland with its marvels of volcanoes and perpetual ice. These maps did not appear in any isolario before Porcacchi and reached a wide audience through successive editions of the work. Further interesting maps include Tenochtitlan (spelled Temistitan), the capital of the Aztec reign destroyed by the Spanish about 50 years earlier. Despite its location is approximately the same as Mexico City, the ancient capital was surrounded by a marvelous artificial lake - hence considered an island. The volume closes with the Discorso intorno alla carta da navigare (pp. 114), accompanied by a nautical chart of the world, and the Descrittione del Mappamondo, a reduction of Camocio's world map of 1567, both among the most important cartographic items in the book. What's cooler than a book about islands? The relatively small and sun-baked (Sicily, Malta, Cyprus, Cuba) and the gloriously oversized (Britain, Iceland, even America - yes, it counts, water goes all the way around!). Better yet, Porcacchi was among the first to report on newly discovered lands, with newly etched maps, blending classic knowledge and fresh-off-the-boat dispatches into something that feels both charmingly naïve and sharply humanist. Add sea monsters on the maps, and you have a front-row seat to the greatest show on earth: the world discovering itself.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48097442267371,"sku":"82-1572--5100-3050-46109.7381944444","price":5100.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/0082_IMG_7527copy2.jpg?v=1776294140"},{"product_id":"durer-della-simmetria-dei-corpi-umani-1591","title":"Della simmetria dei corpi humani","description":"\u003cp\u003eLibri quattro. On the Symmetry of Human Bodies. 1591 First Italian Edition Leaves [1] f.e, [6], 143 (including 3 folded plates), [1] colophon; [1] r.e. Venetia (Venice) Domenico Nicolini Modern period-style binding, full morocco, with blind and gilt tooling to boards and spine; spine with five raised bands. Leaf 29 misnumbered 27; leaf 74 skipped in the pagination (but complete, as in other copies). Four double-page plates on three folded leaves (the first two only on the recto; the others printed on recto and verso on the same leaf, pp. 96–97). 110 woodcut illustrations throughout the text. Very small numerical calculations in ink on the front endpaper, in an early hand; possibly the same hand annotated the rear endpaper with notes in Italian relating to the subject matter of the book, with references to Michelangelo Buonarroti. Minor worming at the upper inner margin of the last 40 leaves, well away from text and images. The folded plate 98 has been professionally restored at the back of the fold. Light browning to a few of the final text pages. A crisp copy, in very good condition. First Italian edition of Albrecht Dürer’s celebrated treatise on human proportion, translated from the Latin version printed in Nuremberg between 1532 and 1534. Originally conceived as an instructional manual for artists and first published in German in 1528, the work applies mathematical proportion to the depiction of the human body in pursuit of harmonious form. Dürer’s position within Renaissance debates is distinctive: unlike Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo, he rejected anatomical dissection, believing that anatomy fragmented the body and obscured its unity. Geometry and proportion, by contrast, offered a comprehensive vision of the figure. Published posthumously in Venice by Nicolini in 1591, this folio edition is a cornerstone of scientific anthropometry. The translation by Giovanni Paolo Gallucci expands the original four books with a fifth, addressing the artistic representation of human diversity. Celebrated and influential, the work bridges Renaissance art theory and scientific inquiry. This treatise, written, illustrated, and designed by Dürer, is the first printed work to address comparative and differential anthropometry, drawing on classical sources (Villard de Honnecourt, Vitruvius, Alberti, and da Vinci) while presenting an original study of human physiques. Dürer’s mathematical system of proportion aimed to provide artists with tools to depict all human types, treating beauty as relative and grounded in geometry. The four books cover proportions of adults and infants, mathematical transformations of proportions, and the geometry of bodily movement, accompanied by detailed woodcut diagrams with early cross-hatching techniques. The volume contains three double-page plates and over a hundred full-page woodcut illustrations demonstrating Dürer’s mathematical and geometric approach to the human form. The illustrations are copies of the original woodcuts from the first German edition (Nuremberg, 1528), executed by Hieronymus Andreä \"Formschneider\" (literally \"the woodblock cutter\") after Dürer's widow request.  The text systematically examines human proportions through constructed scales and measurements: the body divided into seven and eight parts, separate studies of men, women, and children, variations of corpulence and thinness governed by mathematical rules, and figures shown in movement and foreshortening. Giovanni Paolo Gallucci’s Italian translation proved the most enduring and frequently cited version of Durer's masterwork during the following centuries. The work is grounded in the relationship between beauty and proportion, and between microcosm and macrocosm, concepts central not only to early modern visual theory but also to music, physiognomic and humoral theory, astronomy and astrology, cosmology, theology, philosophy, and even mnemonics and poetry. Gallucci further expanded the original work by adding a Preface, a Life of Dürer, and a Fifth Book, which provides a philosophical framework for interpreting Dürer’s original four books and situates the mathematical study of the body within a broader humanistic worldview. A chance to see inside Dürer’s mind as he works through form, proportion, and beauty, across more than a hundred woodcuts on his own design, supporting his original approach: rigorous, systematic, and unmistakably brilliant.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48097442300139,"sku":"84-1591--4900-2548-2025","price":4900.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/0084_IMG_6864.jpg?v=1776196008"},{"product_id":"cavallo-a-complete-treatise-1777","title":"A complete treatise of electricity in theory and practice","description":"\u003cp\u003ewith original experiments A Complete Treatise of Electricity in Theory and Practice, with Original Experiments 1777 First Edition Pp. [1] f.e., xvi, viii, 412 [4], III folded plates London Edward and Charles Dilly Contemporary light blue boards, with slight signs of wear. Uncut, very light foxing at limited leaves. Pp. 41-48 omitted in pagination, as customary. In excellent condition. First edition of the author's first substantial scientific publication, and one of the most important English-language treatises on electricity of the 18th century, when discoveries about electricity (linked to figures like Franklin and Volta, and to devices such as Leyden jars, lightning rods, and electrometers) were being organized into a clearer, teachable system.Published just two years before his election as Fellow of the Royal Society in 1779, the Treatise established his reputation as the foremost English-language systematizer of electrical knowledge, thanks to its disciplined arrangement of a rapidly expanding field: electricity becoming not only a subject of wonder, but a practical, illustrated, and increasingly standardized science. The treatise is divided into four parts, reflecting the author's conviction that the science could be presented with full rigour only by separating established fact from hypothesis, and both from practical instruction. Part I, \"Fundamental Laws of Electricity,\" treats basic terminology, electrics and conductors, positive and negative electricity, methods of excitation, communicated electricity, the Leyden phial, atmospheric electricity, practical advantages, and a summary of principal properties. Part II, \"Theory of Electricity,\" is expressly hypothetical, with the preface noting that this section relates \"not to facts, but to opinions\" and that the \"great improbability of most of these hypotheses\" kept it brief. Part III, \"Practical Electricity,\" covers apparatus, machine design, components, experimental setup, attraction and repulsion, electric light, the Leyden phial, charged electrics, lightning conductors, the electrical battery, and further properties of the Leyden phial. Part IV, \"New Experiments in Electricity,\" presents the author's contributions: the electrical kite and kite experiments, atmospheric and rain electrometers, the electrophorus, a machine for producing perpetual electricity, experiments on colours, and promiscuous experiments. The introduction traces the history from Theophrastus and amber through William Gilbert (hailed as the father of the science), Boyle, Otto von Guericke, Newton, Hawkesbee, and Stephen Grey, whose rediscovery marks the \"true flourishing era.\" The three folding copperplates, engraved by John Lodge after drawings by T. Conde, depict machines, Leyden jars, electrometers, conductors, kite apparatus, and related instruments. The work went through three further editions in the author's lifetime, the second in 1782 and the third in three volumes between 1786 and 1795, each substantially enlarged, and remained a standard reference for both neophytes and advanced experimenters.  Cavallo's treatise tames electricity's chaos into elegant order, complete with gleaming instruments and bold ideas: Enlightenment curiosity wired into a beautifully teachable form - for the first time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48150053552363,"sku":"139-1777--850-123-2026","price":850.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/00139_IMG_8001.jpg?v=1777186983"},{"product_id":"tourneux-encyclopedie-chemins-1844","title":"Encyclopédie des chemins de fer et des machines a vapeur","description":"\u003cp\u003eà l'usage des praticiens et des gens du monde Encyclopedia of Railways and Steam Engines. For the use of practitioners and people of the world 1844 First Edition Pp. [1] f.e., [8], 520, XII folded tables, [1] r.e. Paris Paul Renouard Half calf over marbled boards, smooth spine with seven decorative gilt fillets, gilt title; edges sprinkled in blue. Foxing, slightly more pronounced at the beginning of the volume, becoming progressively rarer thereafter. Twelve plates mounted at the time of the binding and folded, in very good conditions. Small engraved illustrations in the text. A very good copy. First edition of this richly documented encyclopedic dictionary of railway and steam technology, published two years after the Paris-Versailles disaster of 8 May 1842, which intensified public, scientific, and legislative scrutiny of rail safety. Tourneux places rail transport within its full nineteenth-century framework: mechanics, metallurgy, bridge engineering, steam power, law, tariffs, measurement, and administration. The alphabetical form gives that rapidly evolving vocabulary practical order, preserving a field still experimental and at times dangerous, yet increasingly shaped by the conviction that disciplined knowledge could make modern transport safer and more legible. Arranged alphabetically, the work covers the technical, commercial, juridical, and scientific language of the railway and steam age. Entries move from mechanics to infrastructure and governance: \"Abattre\" (lowering heavy machine components for inspection), \"Accéléré\" (acceleration and motion), \"Dent\" (gear teeth), \"Fer\" and \"Fil de fer\" (industrial iron and wire), and \"Ferme\" (truss construction), alongside \"Abonnement\" (subscription contracts), \"Barrières\" (level crossings), \"Bascule\" (weighbridges), \"Bassin\" (hydrographic basins for route planning), \"Jurisprudence,\" \"Jury\" (indemnification tribunals under the law of 3 May 1841), and metrological entries such as \"Kilogramme\" and \"Kilomètre.\" Particularly notable is \"Chemin de fer,\" which tabulates decreed, conceded, and operational European lines as of 1844, organized by country and illustrated with major routes across France, the British Isles, and the German-speaking states. \"Accidens\" treats railway danger with unusual frankness, describing uncontrolled steam as destructive and presenting accidents as a structural risk of technical progress pending fuller scientific control. The scope also includes steam navigation (\"Bateaux à vapeur\") and vehicle dynamics (\"Lacet,\" on lateral carriage oscillation), with comparison to the 7-foot broad gauge (about 2.13 m) of the Great Western Railway. Illustration is substantial: twelve hors-texte engraved plates, including several folding sheets, plus numerous in-text woodcuts and technical diagrams. Together they depict locomotives, boilers, wheel and carriage assemblies, bridge and rail profiles, and related machinery, reinforcing the book's function as a practical technical reference. Shaped by the lessons of early railway mishaps, and anchored in a lovingly father-son tribute, this dictionary turns steam-age complexity into clarity: law, commerce, safety, and iron networks spark into ordered, purposeful knowledge.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48150053617899,"sku":"140-1844--850-123-2026","price":850.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/00140_IMG_8089.jpg?v=1777187073"},{"product_id":"du-chesne-diaeteticon-polyhistoricon-1606","title":"Diaeteticon polyhistoricon","description":"\u003cp\u003eOpus utique varium, magnae utilitatis ac delectationis, quod multa Historica, Philosophica, \u0026amp; Medica, tam conservandae sanitati, quam variis curandis morbis necessaria contineat Polyhistorical Dietetics. A varied work, of great utility and delight, containing many things historical, philosophical, and medical, necessary both for preserving health and for curing various diseases. 1606 First Edition Pp. [1] f.e., 6, 171 [recte 170], 369-463, [6], [1] r.e. Parisiis [Paris] Claudium Morellum Contemporary limp vellum, hand written title and long-stitch sewing visible at spine, traces of two ties lacking. Faint early handwritten inscription at top edge of title page. The engraved author's portrait normally on *4 is missing. Some occasional foxing. A very good copy of this foundational treatise. First edition of this notable compendium of medical secrets by Du Chesne, physician to Henri IV, Calvinist diplomat, and one of the most combative promoters of chemical medicine in late sixteenth-century France.his Paracelsian treatise on dietetics, hygiene, maladies and the deleterious passions of the soul (like lust or avarice), he addresses the distinct cause of illness, situating it within a broader social context while incorporating historical anecdotes, and outlining symptoms, effects, and recommended treatments and dietary regimens. The volume was issued almost simultaneously to its French counterpart, Le Pourtraict de la sante, in an interesting case of self-translation which speaks to the large interest and popularity of the work. Drawing on ancient, medieval, and contemporary sources, it attempts to reconcile inherited medical authority with the newer ambitions of chemical medicine, in a moment when medicine, moral philosophy, household regimen, and chemical therapeutics could still meet within a single learned architecture, before the modern separation of diet, psychology, pharmacology, and moral conduct. The work is structured in three sections, following the Galenic framework of the non-naturals, enriched throughout with Paracelsian interpretation and extensive historical and medical citation. Section One, devoted to the perturbations of the soul, comprises nine chapters examining the medical consequences of ambition, avarice, envy, carnal love (amor venereus), wrath arising from bilious affection, joy, fear, and sadness. Each is treated through a combination of historical exempla, symptomatology, physiological analysis, and therapeutic guidance, forming a discourse that bridges moral philosophy and medicine. The notable chapter \"De amore venereo\" (Cap. V) traces erotic pathology from desire through jealousy, fury, and vengeance, to the ultimate fear of punishment, accompanied by marginal glosses identifying the \"fructus venereæ amoris.\" Section Two addresses the external non-naturals, including air, winds, and alimentation. Pathological discussions encompass sudor anglicus (sweating sickness), scurvy, Alsatian colic, Hungarian fever, and scrofula, alongside detailed treatment of bread and potable preparations. Central to this section is Chapter VI, \"De Vino, aliisque potibus\" (from fol. 104), a substantial and self-contained treatise on wine. Du Chesne presents wine as a divine gift for the recreation of the heart, before establishing a systematic taxonomy by colour (white, straw, pale, ruby, granato), taste (sweet, austere, pontic, mature, unripe), consistency (subtle and spirituous versus dense and sedimented), and odour. French wines receive extended attention: those of Narbonnais, Beaune, and Burgundy for their body and vigour, Gascon wines for their thickness, and Bordeaux wines, notably those circulating through the vast urban cellars described as extending beyond the city itself. Wines of Coussy, d'Hai, and Orléans are singled out as the most salubrious, favoured by French kings for their lightness and lack of noxious vapours. The discussion proceeds to the medicinal virtues of wine, extensively citing Hippocrates, Galen, Aëtius, Oribasius, and particularly Alexander of Tralles on its use in fever, phrenitis, and consumption. The chapter concludes with observations on wine in old age (after Celsus), its use as an antidote to rabid dog bite, and comparative notes on Norman cider and aqua vitae. Section Three offers practical regimens for daily life, treating herbs, fruits, meats, poultry, fish, harmful animal parts, condiments, and foods functioning both as nourishment and remedy, as well as drinks and the medicinal application of wine. Among the more notable passages are recommendations for dental hygiene, including powders of red coral and rose preparations, and a striking denunciation of sugar, described as concealing \"under its whiteness a great blackness,\" causing thirst and dental decay, and to be particularly avoided by the young. The preliminary leaves contain laudatory Latin verses. The tabula capitum at the conclusion provides a detailed index to all three sections, followed by a substantial errata leaf. We suspect Du Chesne knew it all already: he makes diet the quiet engine of health, weighing wine, air, and food with almost moral urgency. He lingers on wine's subtleties, classifying it like a physician of taste, while prescribing daily regimens that bind kitchen to clinic. What charms us are the curiosities: coral powders for teeth, sugar hiding a \"blackness,\" and unruly passions - lust, envy, wrath - corroding the body as surely as any ill-chosen meal.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48150053716203,"sku":"141-1606--1800-230-2026","price":1800.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/00141_IMG_8023.jpg?v=1777187167"},{"product_id":"durante-il-tesoro-della-sanita-1612","title":"Il tesoro della sanità","description":"\u003cp\u003eNel qual s'insegna il modo di conservar la sanità, \u0026amp; prolongar la vita; et si tratta della natura de' cibi, \u0026amp; de' remedij de' nocumenti loro. The Treasury of Health. By Castor Durante da Gualdo, Physician, \u0026amp; Roman Citizen. In which is taught the manner of preserving health, \u0026amp; prolonging life; and it treats the nature of foods, \u0026amp; of remedies for their harms. With a copious table of notable thing 1612  Pp. [1] f.e., [30], 480, [1] r.e. Torino Giovanni Domenico Tarino Binding in contemporary limp vellum, with moderate wear. Handwritten title at the spine, partially legible. Front free endpaper replaced. Scattered foxing and occasional signs of handling; small wormhole at pp. 107-134. Pp. 465-478 (Vino section) with losses of text at the upper external margin, particularly significant at pp.475-76. Woodcut headpieces, tailpieces, and initials. A study copy. Il Tesoro della Sanità is a compact vernacular guide to preserving health, prolonging life, understanding the nature of foods, and correcting their nocumenti, or harms. The work belongs to the early modern culture of regimen: medicine as cure, but also daily governance of air, diet, sleep, movement, evacuation, and the passions of the soul. Its physiology is rooted in the Hippocratic-Galenic system of the four humours - bile nera, bile gialla, flemma, and sangue - and their corresponding temperaments, making bodily balance the organizing principle behind its advice. The book derives from Durante's unpublished Latin manuscript De victus et exercitationis servanda ratione, presented to Sixtus V and preserved at the Biblioteca Estense, Modena. Dedicated to Sixtus V, the Tesoro proved unusually durable, enjoying some thirty editions through the early eighteenth century. The Proemio opens with a historiated initial and sets out Durante's medical philosophy, dividing medicine into the preservation of health and its recovery, announcing that this work addresses only the former. The text opens with a Latin Sommario advising the reader to seek pure air, avoid marshy or sirocco-tainted skies, and orient toward the rising sun. Chapters follow on air, exercise, sleep, repletion and evacuation, and the passions of the soul, before the work turns to its extensive alphabetical treatment of foods, drinks, and medicinal substances. Each entry follows a consistent format: a Latin verse distich summarising the item's humoral qualities, then Italian prose covering its names, qualities (hot, cold, wet, dry, and degree), manner of election, benefits, harms (nocumenti), and remedies. The entry on truffles is characteristic: the Latin warns they generate black bile and injure the nerves, while the Italian prose recommends cooking them with pepper and vinegar against flatulence. The wine section is the most expansive, with the Tavola alone indexing over twenty separate wine-related entries, one of the most detailed vernacular classifications of wine types in any sixteenth-century Italian health manual. Remedies against wine's harms prescribe wormwood beforehand and bitter almonds, cabbage, and saffron afterward - a practical guide to hangover management circa 1600. The work closes with chapters on purgatives and clyster preparations, preceded by an extensive twenty-page Tavola delle cose più notabili serving as both index and ready reference. A sixteenth-century wellness manual with truffles, humours, and hangover cures? Medicine has rarely sounded so practical, poetic, and dangerously close to dinner.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48150053781739,"sku":"143-1612--500-230-2026","price":500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/00143_IMG_8059.jpg?v=1777191711"},{"product_id":"da-laquila-arabicae-linguae-1650","title":"Arabicae linguae novae","description":"\u003cp\u003eNon ad vulgaris duntaxat Idiomatis; sed etiam ad Grammaticae doctrinalis intelligentiam, per Annotationes in Capitum Appendicibus suffixas, accomodatae. New and Methodical Institutions of the Arabic Language. Adapted not only to the vernacular idiom, but also to the understanding of doctrinal grammar, through annotations appended in the chapter appendices. 1650 First Edition Pp. [1] f.e., [40], 678, [1] r.e. Romae (Rome) Propaganda Fide Contemporary limp vellum binding, spine with five raised bands and contemporary manuscript title; small wormhole at the upper portion. Wormhole at the lower part of the front hinge. The four folding conjugation tables are lacking, as in many surviving copies of a grammar intended for daily use. Some light browning. Latin and Arabic types. Given the rarity of such heavily used 17th-century manuals, it's considered a very good copy. First edition of an important contribution to the understanding of Arabic language studies in Europe during the 17th century. Arabicae Linguae Novae served the various needs, but all very common 17th century, of missionary training, Roman oriental scholarship, and the practical Arabic learning in the Levant. This substantial Arabic grammar was designed not merely for the vulgar idiom but also for the understanding of doctrinal grammar, as its title declares. Its author, Antonio ab Aquila, also known as Antonio dall'Aquila, was a Franciscan of the Strict Observance whose career gave the book its particular authority: in fact, hee departed for Egypt in 1630, served first as superior of the Alexandrian residence, then as commissary of the mission and guardian at Aleppo. After a decade in the Levant, he was recalled to Rome to teach Arabic at the Franciscan College of San Pietro in Montorio, where the Propaganda Fide had appointed him lector of Arabic. The grammar reflects that institutional world: Arabic was not being studied as an antiquarian ornament, but as a working language for preaching, teaching, reading, and doctrinal transmission across Eastern Christian and Islamic contexts. The book succeeds and substantially expands the earlier work of Tommaso Obicini da Novara, Antonio's teacher and the first lector of Arabic at San Pietro in Montorio, whose 1621 Grammatica Arabica had been closely tied to Ibn Ajurrum's Muqaddima. Antonio's work  is broader in scope and more explicitly pedagogical, suited to missionary students of differing levels. Antonio later served as reviser of the Arabic Bible project then underway at the Propaganda press, working alongside Ludovicus Marracci, Filippo Guadagnoli, Athanasius Kircher, and Sergio Risi on the commission for the Arabic scriptures. The grammar is divided into three parts, following the classical tripartite structure of Latin grammars adapted to Arabic morphology. Part One, Orthography, covers the Arabic alphabet in six chapters, with a full tabular \"Alphabetum Arabicum\" showing each letter in its isolated, initial, medial, and final forms, together with Latin transliterations and annotations on pronunciation. Part Two, Etymology, is divided into two books: Liber Primus \"De Verbo\" treats verb conjugation in twenty-five chapters, covering sound, weak, deaf, assimilated, and defective verbs, with paradigm tables for the ten Arabic verb measures, or awzan; Liber Secundus \"De Nomine \u0026amp; Particula\" treats nouns, pronouns, particles of negation, optation, and vocative in a further twenty-six chapters. Part Three, Syntax, addresses concord, word order, verbal and nominal constructions, and the construction of the comparative and superlative. The work concludes with an elaborate pedagogical apparatus: graded exercises for four classes of students, a section \"De Triplici Lectione in Libros Arabicos\" explaining three progressive methods for reading Arabic codices, three reading exercises in the form of a prayer of thanksgiving in Arabic and Latin, \"Agimus tibi gratias o Deus potens super omnia pro universis beneficiis\", an Index Dictionum, or vocabulary, and an \"Epitoma Indubitatae Fidei Veritatis\", a catechetical summary of Christian doctrine in Arabic. The Admonitio ad Lectorem names the Arabic books printed in Rome for which the grammar is preparatory: the Sacred Bible, the four Gospels, the Doctrina Christiana, the Apologia of Filippo Guadagnoli, and the Ars Medicinae and Philosophy of Avicenna. The chapter on Syriac characters, Cap. VI, addresses the Garshuni tradition - the practice of writing Arabic in Syriac script, used by Eastern Christian communities. This acknowledges that missionaries in the Levant would encounter Arabic not only in Arabic script but in the Syriac alphabets of Maronite, Melkite, and Jacobite communities, a practical reality that few European grammars of the period addressed. A missionary grammar with real dust on its boots, shaped between Rome and the Middle East, where language meant action. A grammar that is lived, preached, negotiated, where doctrine, ink, and travel meet.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Fenice Antiquaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48150053880043,"sku":"142-1650--840-290-2026","price":840.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0766\/2000\/5611\/files\/00142_IMG_8043.jpg?v=1777187288"}],"url":"https:\/\/fenicebooks.com\/en-kr\/collections\/illustrated-science.oembed","provider":"La Fenice Antiquaria","version":"1.0","type":"link"}