De humani corporis fabrica libri septem
by VESALIUS, Andreas
- Used
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Beverly Hills, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Basel: Per Ioannem Oporinum, 1555. Basel: Per Ioannem Oporinum, [1555].
Second and best folio edition (first published in 1543) of the most important anatomical treatise of the sixteenth century. With author's final additions and corrections as well as a renewed woodcut title-page and and initials. Large folio (16 x 10 7/8 inches; 407 x 275 mm). [12], 504, [1, folding table paginated "505"], [1, unpaginated leaf of figures to be superimposed], 507-824, [48] pp. Collation: a-z6 A-V6 X2 (including fold-out sheet) Y-Z6 aa6 bb8 (bb 6-7 is fold-out sheet) cc- zz6 Aa8 Bb-Ee6. Complete with woodcut title, woodcut portrait of the author on a6 verso, numerous woodcut illustrations (including nineteen full-page anatomical illustrations), two folding tables with woodcut diagrams, woodcut printer's device on verso of final leaf, and seven-to twelve-line historiated woodcut initials.
Full 17th century paneled calf, boards paneled in gilt. Rebacked with early spine laid- down. Spine stamped in gilt. Red Morocco spine label, lettered in gilt. With some expert restoration to folding plates. A small professional repair to page 203. Some minor marginal staining to pages 509-566 and 794 through the end. A handsome copy with crisp clean pages. Overall a very good copy.
"This edition contains Vesalius's final revisions of the text, along with significant typographical improvements and refinements. Oporinus set the second folio edition in larger type (forty-nine instead of fifty-seven lines per page), which required recutting of all the small initials letters so that they could fit seven lines of the new type. Oporinus also used heavier and finer paper for the second edition, and improved the presswork so that the second edition is a superior example of bookmaking" (Norman Library).
Aside from the renewed engraved title-page and initials, this second edition (1555) used the same plates as the first edition. The woodblocks survived in Germany until the Second World War during which they were destroyed while in the Munich Library. Before they were destroyed in the war, the Bremer press published their 1935 Andreae Vesalii Bruxellensis Icones Anatomicae edition useing the original blocks from 1543 and 1555, and interspersed passages of text, the "key" to the illustrations from the 1555 (present) edition.
"The young Vesalius, with an iconoclastic zeal characteristic of the sixteenth century, and a forcible style all his own, endeavoured to do all that Galen had done and to do it better. The result was ‘The Structure of the Human Body', published when he was twenty-nine; a complete anatomical and physiological study of every part of the human body, based on first-hand examination and his five years' experience as public prosector in the medical school at Padua. The five books deal with the bones and muscles, blood vessels, nerves, abdominal viscera, thoracic organs and the brain. Galen was not merely improved upon: he was superseded; and the history of anatomy is divided into two periods, pre-Vesalian and post-Vesalian. The Fabrica, a handsomely printed folio, is remarkable for its series of magnificent plates, which set new technical standards of anatomical illustrations, and indeed of book illustration in general. They have generally been ascribed to an artist of Titian's school, long (but no longer) thought to be Jan Stephen van Calcar (1499-c. 1550). Vesalius's was the most splendid and the most comprehensive of a large number of anatomical treatises of the sixteenth century. The second edition (1555) used the same plates (the woodblocks indeed survived in Germany until the Second World War) but contains minor variations in the text. No other work of the sixteenth century equals it" (Printing and the Mind of Man ).
Adams V605.Choulant-Frank, pp. 181-182. Cushing, Vesalius, VI.A.-3. Garrison and Morton 377. NLM/Durling 4579. Norman Library 2139. Osler 568. Waller 9901. Wellcome 6562. Printing and the Mind of Man 71 (describing the 1543 first folio edition).
HBS 68434.
$105,000.
Second and best folio edition (first published in 1543) of the most important anatomical treatise of the sixteenth century. With author's final additions and corrections as well as a renewed woodcut title-page and and initials. Large folio (16 x 10 7/8 inches; 407 x 275 mm). [12], 504, [1, folding table paginated "505"], [1, unpaginated leaf of figures to be superimposed], 507-824, [48] pp. Collation: a-z6 A-V6 X2 (including fold-out sheet) Y-Z6 aa6 bb8 (bb 6-7 is fold-out sheet) cc- zz6 Aa8 Bb-Ee6. Complete with woodcut title, woodcut portrait of the author on a6 verso, numerous woodcut illustrations (including nineteen full-page anatomical illustrations), two folding tables with woodcut diagrams, woodcut printer's device on verso of final leaf, and seven-to twelve-line historiated woodcut initials.
Full 17th century paneled calf, boards paneled in gilt. Rebacked with early spine laid- down. Spine stamped in gilt. Red Morocco spine label, lettered in gilt. With some expert restoration to folding plates. A small professional repair to page 203. Some minor marginal staining to pages 509-566 and 794 through the end. A handsome copy with crisp clean pages. Overall a very good copy.
"This edition contains Vesalius's final revisions of the text, along with significant typographical improvements and refinements. Oporinus set the second folio edition in larger type (forty-nine instead of fifty-seven lines per page), which required recutting of all the small initials letters so that they could fit seven lines of the new type. Oporinus also used heavier and finer paper for the second edition, and improved the presswork so that the second edition is a superior example of bookmaking" (Norman Library).
Aside from the renewed engraved title-page and initials, this second edition (1555) used the same plates as the first edition. The woodblocks survived in Germany until the Second World War during which they were destroyed while in the Munich Library. Before they were destroyed in the war, the Bremer press published their 1935 Andreae Vesalii Bruxellensis Icones Anatomicae edition useing the original blocks from 1543 and 1555, and interspersed passages of text, the "key" to the illustrations from the 1555 (present) edition.
"The young Vesalius, with an iconoclastic zeal characteristic of the sixteenth century, and a forcible style all his own, endeavoured to do all that Galen had done and to do it better. The result was ‘The Structure of the Human Body', published when he was twenty-nine; a complete anatomical and physiological study of every part of the human body, based on first-hand examination and his five years' experience as public prosector in the medical school at Padua. The five books deal with the bones and muscles, blood vessels, nerves, abdominal viscera, thoracic organs and the brain. Galen was not merely improved upon: he was superseded; and the history of anatomy is divided into two periods, pre-Vesalian and post-Vesalian. The Fabrica, a handsomely printed folio, is remarkable for its series of magnificent plates, which set new technical standards of anatomical illustrations, and indeed of book illustration in general. They have generally been ascribed to an artist of Titian's school, long (but no longer) thought to be Jan Stephen van Calcar (1499-c. 1550). Vesalius's was the most splendid and the most comprehensive of a large number of anatomical treatises of the sixteenth century. The second edition (1555) used the same plates (the woodblocks indeed survived in Germany until the Second World War) but contains minor variations in the text. No other work of the sixteenth century equals it" (Printing and the Mind of Man ).
Adams V605.Choulant-Frank, pp. 181-182. Cushing, Vesalius, VI.A.-3. Garrison and Morton 377. NLM/Durling 4579. Norman Library 2139. Osler 568. Waller 9901. Wellcome 6562. Printing and the Mind of Man 71 (describing the 1543 first folio edition).
HBS 68434.
$105,000.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Heritage Book Shop, LLC (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 68434
- Title
- De humani corporis fabrica libri septem
- Author
- VESALIUS, Andreas
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- Per Ioannem Oporinum
- Place of Publication
- Basel
- Date Published
- 1555
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Keywords
- Illustrated Books|Science and Technology|Medicine|Anatomy|Early Books|PMM
Terms of Sale
Heritage Book Shop, LLC
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Heritage Book Shop, LLC
Biblio member since 2006
Beverly Hills, California
About Heritage Book Shop, LLC
Owned and operated by Ben Weinstein, who has been in the business of antiquarian books for over fifty years, Heritage Book Shop\'s inventory consists of some of the finest items in the areas of first editions, early printed books, bindings, illustrated books, literature, and manuscripts. Heritage Book Shop serves a clientele base consisting of private collectors as well as esteemed public institutions. We take great pride in the dedication we offer our clients. Whether you are building a first-rate collection of a favorite author or an extensive library, we look forward to offering the experience of our knowledgeable and helpful staff.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Device
- Especially for older books, a printer's device refers to an identifying mark, also sometimes called a printer's mark, on the...
- Crisp
- A term often used to indicate a book's new-like condition. Indicates that the hinges are not loosened. A book described as crisp...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Folio
- A folio usually indicates a large book size of 15" in height or larger when used in the context of a book description. Further,...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Rebacked
- having had the material covering the spine replaced. ...
- Verso
- The page bound on the left side of a book, opposite to the recto page.
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Spine Label
- The paper or leather descriptive tag attached to the spine of the book, most commonly providing the title and author of the...
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- Calf
- Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the...