BRAUN, Alexander.

Betrachtungen über die Erscheinung der Verjüngung in der Natur, insbesondere in der Lebens- und Bildungsgeschichte der Pflanze.

Freiburg, Universitäts-Buchdruckerei von Hermann M. Poppen, 1849-50. 4to, pp. xvi, 363, with 3 handcoloured lithographic plates; the initial two leaves and plates a little spotted; a very good copy in contemporary green morocco-backed boards, covers and spine ruled in gilt, all edges gilt; shelfmark label on spine, extremities a little rubbed. FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE with additional dedicatory title, and dedication leaf, of a rare work on the rejuvenescence of plants. This first issue was distributed to a small number of colleagues at Freiburg University. In 1851 the work was re-published for the book trade by Engelmann in Leipzig, retaining the original Freiburg typesetting. An English translation appeared in 1853 in Memoirs of the Royal Society. An 'outstanding morphologist' (Stafleu & Cowan), Alexander Braun was a follower of the German naturphilosophische school, which was led by Lorenz Oken, and Schelling. A gifted botanist Braun began to publish papers at the age of sixteen.'In 1849 he was elected prorector of the Freiburg Hochschule, and his diplomatic leadership during the Baden revolution did much to keep the school free from political strife ... Braun's most important single work was Betrachtungen über die Erscheinung der Verjüngung in der Natur, written while he was at Freiburg and originally delivered as the prorectorial address for 1849; its publication was delayed until 1851 by Braun's call to Giessen and by the Baden revolution. Braun's chief object in this volume is to show that the phenomenon of 'rejuvenescence' distinguishes the organic realm from the inorganic. His diffuse concept of rejuvenescence was an extension of Goethe's doctrine of metamorphosis and included a consideration of developmental history, reproduction, and the dissolution of formed structures ... Braun's general interpretations were always coloured by his Naturphilosophie, and his work may have exerted less influence than it deserved because he was so obviously and genuinely a Naturphilosoph at a time when that mode of looking at nature was becoming unfashionable' (DSB).Our copy of this dedication issue is accompanied by an autograph letter presenting it to Karl Leopold I, Grand-Duke of Baden, on the occasion of his birthday. The letter is from the prorector of the Hochschule, Ludwig Oettinger, dated July, 8, 1850, whereas the printed dedication to Karl Leopold is dated August 29, 1849. Oettinger explains this delay by stating that the book had only recently appeared (eben erst erschienen).Pritzel 1095; Stafleu & Cowan 712.

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