De Motionibus Naturalibus a Gravitate Pendentibus..

Numerous woodcut diagrams in the text. 4 p.l., 566, [5] pp. Thickish 4to, cont. semi-stiff boards (a little soiled), uncut. Reggio di Calabria: D. Ferri, 1670. First edition and scarce. "Borelli's second book on mechanics is important as the first treatise on capillarity. It contains the important investigations from which the author formulated the law that the height of the ascent of liquids in capillary tubes is inversely proportional to their diameters. His investigations also led him to the conclusion that the phenomenon of capillarity is independent of the pressure of air."-Roberts & Trent, Bibliotheca Mechanica, p. 42. Borelli saw this book not only as a work exploring aspects of mechanics but also as a necessary introduction to what he would later consider to be his most important work, the De Motu Animalium. A fine copy in original state. ❧ D.S.B., II, p. 311-In this book "he argues against positive levity, discusses the Torricellian experiment, takes up siphons, pumps, and the nature of fluidity, tries to understand the expansion of water while freezing, and deals with fermentation and other chemical processes." Riccardi, I, 159.