Georgii Agricolae De Re Metallica Libri XII · Quibus Officia, Instrumenta, Machinae, Ac Omnia Denique ad Metallicam spectantia, non modò luculentissimè describuntur, sed et per effigies, suis locis insertas, adiunctis Latinis, Germanisq; appellationibus ita ob oculos ponuntur, ut clarius tradi non possint. Eiusdem De Animantibus Subterraneis Liber, Ab Autore recognitus: cum Indicibus diversis, quicquid in opere tractatum est, pulchrè demonstrantibus, atq; omnibus nunc iterum ad archetypum diligenter restitutis & castigatis.
De Re Metallica
Georgii Agricolae De Animantibus Subterraneis Liber
De Animantibus Subterraneis
Imprint
Froben, Basileae: M · D · LXI · Cum Privilegio Imperatoris in annos v. & Galliarum Regis ad sexennium.
Physical Description
[12], 502, [74] p., [2] pl. (fold.): illus.; 305 mm. (In sixes.)
General Note
The two plates carry no plate-numbers; they are bound in after pp. 96 and 100.
Contents
[T.p., dedic. (1550)] - Georgius Fabricius In Libros Metallicos Georgii Agricolæ Philosophi præstantissimi. Ad Lectorem (1551) - [Blank leaf] - [Text]; Scriptorum, Quorum Inventiis Author in sequenti De animantibus subterraneis libro usus, & ad hanc experientiam excitatus est, Catalogus - Georgius Agricola Georgio Fabricio S.P.D. (1548) - Georgii Agricolae De Animantibus Subterraneis Liber, Ab autore recognitus - Rei Metallicae ... (indices) - Animantium ... (indices) - [Colophon] - [Printer's device].
Responsibility Note
The two plates and most in-text illustrations are unsigned; but seven illustrations (on pp. 72, 73, 74, 84, 85, 90, 101) are signed by 'RMD', i.e. Hans Rudolf Manuel Deutsch.
The printers are named in the colophon: 'Basileae In Officina Frobeniana, Per Hier. Frobenium Et Nic. Episcopium, Mense Martio, Anno Domini M.D.LXI.'
The work is dedicated (1550) by Georgius Agricola to 'Saxoniae Ducibus ... Mauricio sacri Imperij ... Electori ... atque eius fratri Augusto'.
Summary Note
The work had first been published in 1556 (Basileae (apud Hieron. Frobenium et Nicolaum Episcopium)) - but may have been partly printed or prepared earlier, as indicated by the dates of the dedication (1550), the 'Georgius Fabricius ... Ad Lectorem' (1551) and the 'Georgius Agricola Georgio Fabricio S.P.D.' (1548).
The text is a systematic treatise on mining and metallurgy. One of its indices includes German equivalents of the Latin terminology.
It is copiously illustrated with woodcuts.
An English translation by President Herbert Hoover was published in 1912 and reprinted in 1950 (New York: Dover).
Provenance
The verso of the front loose endpaper is inscribed in pencil, 'S:A:H:', i.e. S.A. Hart, librarian of the Royal Academy 1864-81.
Binding Note
19th-century white vellum, red morocco spine label lettered 'Georgii Agricolae - De Re Metallica'.
Subject
Metal - Metallurgy - Mineral industries - Mineralogy - Mining - Palaeontology - Zoology - History
Treatises - Switzerland - 16th century
Pictorial works - Woodcuts - Switzerland - 16th century