This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/10/2022
[CHEMISTRY AND ALCHEMY]. SCALIGERUS, Iulius Caesar. Exotericarum Exercitationum Liber XV. De Subtilitate ad Hyeronimum Cardanum. Frankfurt: Wechel, 1576. 12mo (6 ½ x 4”). Illustrated with diagrams in text. Modern full vellum, brown gilt morocco lettering label on spine (some wear to spine label, some rubbing, foxing to binding, text toned, some ink notations on title-page, text toned, foxed, soiled). [Together with:] Another copy. Frankfurt: Wechel, 1592. 12mo (6 ½ x 4”). Illustrated with diagrams in text. Contemporary full blind-stamped pigskin. Front joint cracking, some wear, soiling, chipping to binding, ink notations to title-page, some foxing, thumbsoiling in text. Good examples of early editions of this treatise (first published in 1557). (“Julius Scaliger, in criticizing some views of Cardanus, and especially his definition of metal as something that can be melted and becomes hard when cooled, says that according to that, mercury would be no metal… which thus far cannot be melted by fire nor by any Spanish devices.” Stillman, Early Chemistry, p. 438).