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TITLE CONTINUED: abditarum naturae motionum in elementis, lapidibus, plantis & animalibus, elucescentium, multa hucusque incognita naturae arcana per physica, medica, chymica & mathematica omnis generis experimenta recluduntur. SECOND EDITION corrected 1643, Latin text, small 4to, approximately 200 x 155 mm, 8 x 5¾ inches, ADDED ENGRAVED TITLE PAGE, plus 29 engraved plates, 1 folding, numerous wood engravings in the text including 3 full page. Pages: [28], 797, [39], bound in contemporary plain vellum, raised bands and faded hand-written title to spine, all edges red. A few dark spots to lower spine, top edge of lower cover has slight loss of vellum, covers just slightly bowed, small 19th century private library label on front pastedown, brief manuscript note about the book on the front endpaper, pale water staining to margins of engraved title page, just entering the image in places, but barely visible, remains of a small wax seal to outer margin of title page, intermittent pale age-browning, heavier in a few places, pale damp stain to margins of L1-L4 and O1-O4, small closed tear to upper edge of Xx1, neatly repaired with no loss, occasional slight offsetting from illustrations onto text, occasional dark spot, all easily legible. A very good tight copy. Athanasius Kircher (1601-1680) was a German Jesuit scholar, erudite in many fields, who published around 40 works, most notably in the fields of oriental studies, geology, and medicine. He also invented the first megaphone. This work contains all that was known on the subject of magnetism in Kircher's day. It describes several original observations, for example the influence of volcanic eruptions on the magnetic needle, many experiments, and contains the first use of the term "electro-magnetism". The work does not confine itself to investigations into physical magnetism, the author also examines other sorts of magnetism such as that of the earth and heavenly bodies; the tides; the attraction and repulsion in animals and plants; and the magnetic attraction of music and love. He also investigates the use of magnetism to cure wounds and diseases. Sotheran, Bibliotheca Chemica Mathematica, Volume I 2296; Sotheby's The Library of the Earls of Macclesfield, Part 5, Science, 1155; A Catalogue of Printed Books in The Wellcome Medical Library, Volume 3, page 394; Albert L. Caillet, Bibliographical Manual of the Psychic or Occult Sciences, page 362, No. 5779; The Haskell F. Norman Library of Science & Medicine by Hook and Norman, Volume 1, page 444, No. 1215: "The second edition had a great influence on Otto von Guericke". MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.
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