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Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare example from the work of the 1554 - illustrated book.
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  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare example from the work of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare view of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare detail view of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare feature view of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare view of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare interesting detail of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare detail view of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare interesting detail of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare selected detail of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare view of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare captivating detail of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare highlighted image of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare example from the work of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare view of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare detail view of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare feature view of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare view of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare interesting detail of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare detail view of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare interesting detail of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare selected detail of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare view of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare captivating detail of the 1554 - illustrated book.
  • Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis by Gesner, Conrad, a rare highlighted image of the 1554 - illustrated book.
Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis

A pocket science book, bridging four centuries through classical study, observation, naive woodcuts, and contemporary notes.

Gesner, Conrad

Thesaurus Euonymi Philiatri De Remediis Secretis
Liber Physicus, Medicus, & Partim Etiam Chymicus, & Oeconomicus In Vinorum Diversi Saporis Apparatu, Medicis & Pharmacopolis Omnibus Praecipue Necessarius

1554, Leiden (Lugduni), Apud Balthazarem Arnoulletum

3rd Edition

$4,200 USD

Overview

"Pocket size" third edition of the original Latin of Conrad Gesner's very popular book of secrets, rich of fascinating illustrations and interesting remedies.
The title translates as: "The Treasury of Euonymus Philiatrus [gesner's presudonym] on Secret Remedies, a book of physics, medicine, and in part also chemistry and household economy, on the preparation of wines of diverse flavors, especially necessary for all physicians and apothecaries.”

Inside the book

Gesner published the first volume of his De remediis secretis in 1552 under the pseudonym Euonymus Philiatrus. It quickly went through many editions and was translated into French, German, Italian and English in a matter of few years. A second part appeared posthumously, edited by Gesner's student Caspar Wolf (1532-1601) and Froschauer, who printed its first edition.
This volume primarily concerns distillation and its application in the preparation of medicines, with most of the woodcuts illustrating furnaces, glassware, and other equipment for the process. It discusses the various kinds of distillation, the necessary apparatus and techniques, aqueous solutions, the making of medicines from a wide variety of plants, animals, and minerals (including metal salts), as well as the extraction of oils. All these subjects are depicted in straightforward woodcuts throughout the book. The contemporary annotations add to the copy’s charm, revealing how highly Gesner’s studies were regarded by his contemporaries.
Quoting Forbes, in A short history of the art of distillation, pp. 120-126: "The work begins with a short historical introduction which says that the Greeks and Romans could not yet distil and claims that the art was invented by the Barbarians, Carthaginians and Arabs shortly after the famous Hellenistic physicians. He gives a few short notes on Arabian scientists like Mesue, Avicenna and Bulcasis, describing their methods of making rose-oil".

Why La Fenice chose it

Imagine Gesner, the ‘Swiss Pliny,’ sketching out furnaces, alembics, and curious glass contraptions with the same seriousness you’d expect from a modern lab manual, yet with infinitely more charm: you can practically smell the steam and tinctures rising from the page. And then imagine a contemporary scholar or practitioner hurriedly jotting notes four centuries ago. That’s the magic of this little unassuming book: not only do you get a ‘pocket-size’ Renaissance science book, you get a time machine into a working mind that once turned these pages, seeking secrets of wine, medicine, and life itself. Who wouldn’t want to hold that in their hands?”
Condition Report

Pp. [1] f.e., a8, b8, c8, 499, [8], [1] r.e.

18th-century half vellum binding; marbled boards; spine with leather label, gilt title and tooling; red edges. With early ink underlining and manuscript annotations throughtout the book. Dozens of woodcut illustrations in text. Final leaf reinforced and lacking the last two blank leaves (I7, 8). The binding shows signs of age (although stiff) and belies the richness within and the charm of this sixteenth-century manual, overall genuine and well preserved.
Reference: Wellcome I, 2778; Vinci Verginelli, p. 147.

Dimensions (inches): 5 x 3 1/4 x 1 1/4
About the author

Conrad Gesner (1516, 1565), Swiss naturalist, physician, and bibliographer (known in Latin as Conradus Gesnerus and sometimes hailed as the ‘Swiss Pliny') was a true Renaissance polymath. Born into a poor family in Zurich, Switzerland, his father and teachers quickly realised his talents and supported him through university, where he studied classical languages, theology and medicine. He became Zurich's city physician, but was able to spend much of his time on collecting, research and writing. Celebrated for his monumental Historiae Animalium and his pioneering universal Reference, he embodied the boundless curiosity and encyclopedic spirit of his age.

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