DE RE METALLICA. LIBRI XII. QUIBUS OFFICIA, INSTRUMENTA, MACHINAE, AC OMNIA DENIQUE AD METALLICAM SPECTANTIA...

Basil: Ludovici Regis, 1621. Third Latin Edition. Hardcover. Very Good in a serviceable binding. Folio (8" x 12-1/2") bound in library buckram; irregularly paginated: [10], 502, [58] pages. Illustrated with 270 woodcuts, many full and half page, some signed with the monogram "RMD," and generally attributed to Hans Rudolf Manuel Deutsch (fl.1525-1572) or, less commonly, Blasius Weffring. Previously published in 1556 and 1561, this edition seems scarcer than either of the previous. PRINTING & THE MIND OF MAN 79: "The first systematic treatise on mining and metallurgy and one of the first technological books of modern times." Herbert Hoover, who first translated this book into English, described this title in his autobiography as "the first important attempt to assemble systematically in print the world-knowledge on mining, metallurgy, and industrial chemistry. It was the great textbook of those industries for two centuries and had dominated thought and practice all that time. In many mining regions and camps, including the Spanish South America, it was chained to the church altar and translated by the priest to the miners between religious services." The book combines a profound technical and financial knowledge of mining with an underlying interest in the health and daily routine of mine workers. The woodcut impressions are strong and dark. Complete but for the two fold-out diagrams lacking. As customary with this title, there is browning throughout, occasionally heavy. Small piece of title page repaired with no loss of text or illustration; ink names of David Stuart dated 1771 and Joseph Robertson dated 1830 on title page. Library bookplate on front pastedown and small ink number on the title page illustration; no other library markings except for numbers on the spine. An important and richly illustrated title.