About this Item
FIRST ENGLISH EDITION 1634, translated by Thomas Johnson. folio bound in fours and sixes, approximately 330 x 210 mm, 13 x 8¼ inches, DEFECTIVE COPY LACKING 6 LEAVES: ENGRAVED TITLE PAGE, 1 PRELIM LEAF (To the Reader) and pages 889-892 plus FINAL INDEX LEAF, all replaced with modern facsimiles, the engraved pictorial title page signed T. Cecill shows Ambrose Pare at the top as an old man, 6 other compartments show surgical scenes, a pharmacy, a human skeleton, a human figure for muscle anatomy, a distilling scene, a table of surgical instruments, and a group of human and animal monsters, over 300 woodcuts in the text, many almost full page, depicting operations, instruments, human anatomy, animals including large images of elephant, rhinoceros, camel, crocodile, portraits of Hippocrates and Galen, pictorial head- and tailpieces, historiated initials. Pages: [14], 1-487, [1], 553-1083, [1], 1093-1173, [23] -index, jumps in pagination from 480 to 553 and 1083-1093 present in all copies, no book numbered. 27, the book on Distillation according to Doe page 169, wrongly numbered 28, nothing missing, all the pages wrongly numbered are the same as listed in Doe page 169, pages 469 -480 bound out of order and should follow page 468, page 631 bound out of order, as are also pages 729-724, and pages 973 and 982. Bound in modern quarter calf over marbled sides with vellum tips, raised bands to spine, gilt lettered green morocco label, new endpapers. Armorial bookplate on front pastedown of George Henry Virtue (d.1866) who was for several years Treasurer of the Royal Numismatic Society, Dedication page to Henry the Third dated 1579 has small old ink inscription dated 1733, damp stains to lower third of first 50 leaves, intermittently from 3D6-4H2, and on final 6 leaves of index, occasional small pale damp stains to margins. Dedication page to Lord Herbert (1 of 2 variants), slightly worn at fore-edge and lower corner, neatly repaired on reverse, some thumbing to lower outer corners of early pages, small closed marginal tears on 18 leaves repaired neatly, 3 just entering text with no loss, small chip to fore-edge margin of page 413, neatly repaired with loss of a couple of letters to side note, repairs to upper margin of page 463, 465, 659, occasional small light stain, mainly to lower margins with small pale purple rings,1 early neat ink marginal note, occasional other small stains or spots. A good copy only with 5 facsimile leaves as noted. The first edition can be confirmed by the number of pages and the book of Disillation wrongly numbered 28 instead of 27. Chapters on various operations, treatment of fractures, plague, manufacturing of artificial limbs, obstetrics, nerve operations, tooth and eye structures, discussion on monsters and fantastical animals, and a treatise on distillation. See: Janet Doe, A Bibliography of the Works of Ambroise Pare, page 167, No. 51; Diana Hook and Jeremy Norman, The Haskell F. Norman Library of Science and Medicine, Volume 2, page 596, No. 1640; Krivatsy, 17th Century Books in the National Library of Medicine, page 876 No. 8603; A Catalogue of Printed Books in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library, Volume I, No. 4825; Bibliotheca Walleriana No.7177; Garrison & Morton, pages 224-226; ESTC S115392. Priced to reflect faults and condition. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.
Seller Inventory # 51087
Contact seller
Report this item
