Magiae Naturalis, sive de Miraculis Rerum Naturalium Libri IIII

EARLY PRINTED ALCHEMICAL TEXT. This is an early edition of Porta's first work, essentially a continuation of the medieval book of secrets and experiments. This is the third Plantinian edition of this book on natural magic (first edition: Naples, 1558). The early editions consisted of 4 books which were increased to 20 in the amplified edition of 1580. "Although Porta makes much use of the words magic and magician, this book is rather strictly limited to the natural variety and is more prosaic and less sensational than might be expected" (cf. Thorndike). Title set within a decorative border. BOOK DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION: 19th Cent. leather, gilt spine, front board detached but present, gilt-edged pages, int. VG. The endpapers of this book contain not particularly legible Latin handwriting of the period. The writing appears to be a medical or philosophical manuscript, possibly related to natural philosophy or alchemical principles. There are mentions of aqua (water), spiritus (spirit), and medicina (medicine), which suggest some relation to early chemistry or medical practice. Terms like experimentum (experiment) and observationes (observations) indicate a scientific approach. Our impression is that a reader is summarizes reactions to Magiae Naturalis. RARITY: Uncommon: USTC identifies 29 copies in world libraries. Three copies are in the US (Johns Hopkins, NLM, Newberry Lib - U of Chicago). RBH lists ten copies that have sold at auction in the last century. Platin printed Magiae Naturalis in octavo for this 1561 edition (his third edition) and then in four 16mo editions in 1564, 1567, 1576 and 1585, all in Latin, and a Dutch edition in 1566. Of some of these editions we know that 1250 copies were printed, and this may well have been the figure for all. From the Plantin-Moretus accounts it would appear that Plantin circulated the book in northern Europe. PROVENANCE: Ex-Libris from Joseph M. Gleason. In the 1870s Gleason was a Californian Catholic priest, educationalist, historian, and collector of books and photographs. This book is from the Arthur C. Greenberg History of Chemistry Library. REFERENCES: Voet no 2086; STC Dutch 172; Adams B2380; BT no 4042; Durling no 3725; Riccardi I, 14; Thorndike, History of magic and experimental science, X-418. …