Lot n° 125

[Mineralogy] GIMMA, Giacinto. Della storia naturale delle Gemme, delle Pietre e di tutti i Minerali, ovvero della Fisica Sotterranea. Napoli, Gennaro Muzio, 1730.

Estimation : Start Price 1 300 €
Description
2 vols. 4to, mm. 220x 165; Ancient half calf binding and marbled cardboard, Golden Title on label on the spine; pp. [48, including half-title and Frontispiece], 551, 1 bl,; pp. [4], 603, 1 bl. Text on 2 columns.
Curious Frontispiece engraved on copper by Antonio Baldi, one copper engraving in the text of the first volume.

FIRST AND ONLY EDITION. Work rare and highly sought. This voluminous treaty of encyclopedic conception is a 'summa' mineralogical and geological knowledge of the time, and reveals the deep admiration for the experimental philosophy of the author. Gimma also deals with crystallography, paleontology, volcanology, chemistry, botany: using chemistry to the study of rocks, fossils and minerals, in search of the morphogenetic principle that oversee the organization of living things, before arriving in the construction of a system unit informant. Among the topics covered in the various "overview" of the author, we find the magic lantern, the magnet, tobacco, fragrant essences, marbles, mosaics, the philosopher's stone, oil, meteorites, etc.
Adams, Geol. Sciences, p. 5; H. Emanuel, Diamonds and precious stones , London, 1867, p. 272.; Preti, in DBI, 54, Roma, 2000, pp. 768-774.

nice specimen.
Partager