LEEUWENHOEK, Anton van.

[Opera omnia].

Delft and Leyden, Krooneveld, Beman, Langerack and others, 1695-1719. Seven parts in four vols., 4to (see below for collation), a little spotted and browned in places but a fine set in uniform contemporary Dutch calf backed boards, darker lettering pieces gilt; a trifle rubbed and bumped. A FINE SET AND A VERY RARE COMPLETE RUN of 'the collected letters of the Dutch pioneer in microscopy, the first to see and describe bacteria, red blood corpuscles, spermatozoa' (Horblit). The set comprises all of Leeuwenhoek's 119 letters, including the first Latin edition of Arcana naturae detecta, 1695 (PMM 166), which includes the first editions of letters 84-92, its Continuatio, 1697, Epistolae ad Societatem Regiam Anglicam, 1719, and Epistolae physiologicae super naturae arcanis, 1719. The Latin collections are the form in which Leeuwenhoek's discoveries became generally known.Leeuwenhoek, 'one of the most indefatigable workers with the simple microscope ... sent a great many communications to the Royal Society from 1673 onward. He would never give any particulars on the method of construction of the microscope he used, other than admitting that his observations were made with a simple microscope. Leeuwenhoek's observations were so striking, owing to the minuteness of the structures that he dealt with and the accuracy of his observation, that there was great curiosity as to the kind of instrument that he must be using to obtain such wonderful results, and in 1681 there was a discussion at the Royal Society about them' (Court, The History of the Microscope pp. 33-4). He constructed his own microscopes which 'were not surpassed until the nineteenth century' (DSB).'Leeuwenhoek made remarkable discoveries in the anatomy of man and the higher and lower forms of animal and plant life - he investigated two hundred and fourteen animal types. He gave the first reasonably accurate account of the red blood corpuscles in both vertebrates and invertebrates by studying the walls of the vessels that controlled the movement of the blood in the capillaries (first seen by Malpighi) and tried to measure the blood velocity. Together with the work of Malpighi these studies completed Harvey's discoveries ... On the teeth he found certain micro-organisms and he gave the first illustrations of various kinds of bacteria' (PMM). These discoveries were conclusive proof against the theory of spontaneous generation and immediately pushed forward the development of modern biological and medical theories.Leeuwenhoek's bibliography is fraught with difficulty. 'His published writings have, indeed, been the despair of all authors who have had occasion to refer to them ... The final complete collections of Leeuwenhoek's letters were made up of ... earlier partial collections - of various issues - and new editions; and, in the case of the Latin translations, sometimes of entirely new versions corrected and amended almost beyond recognition' (Dobell). An Opera omnia with a general title-page was issued in 1722, made up of some earlier collections and some new printings for the occasion. Our set is an omnium gatherum which precedes the published version.Our set comprises:-Vol. I. 1). Arcana naturae ope & beneficio exquisitissimorum microscopiorum. Leyden, Cornelius Boutestein, 1808 (recte 1708). Two parts; pp. [vi], 64, 258, title with woodcut device, with engraved frontispiece to the second Dutch edition, dated 1696, and 11 (5 folding) engraved plates. Third Latin edition. Apparently Dobell 25b, but actually a reprint of 22; Wellcome III p. 477; not in Blake. 2). Continuatio epistolarum. Leyden, Vivie, Haak and Langerack, 1715. pp. [viii], 124, with 10 (2 folding) engraved plates. Third Latin edition. - Blake p. 262; Dobell 24b, Wellcome p. 477.Vol. II. Arcana naturae detecta. Delft, Krooneveld. 1695. pp. [vi], 568, [16, the last two blank], with engraved portrait, engraved frontispiece (with letterpress on verso), and 27 (14 folding) engraved plates. First Latin edition. - Dobell 25; Evans, Epochal Achievements 94; Heirs of Hippocrates 381; Krivatsy 6785; PMM 166 (with erroneous date 1696); Sparrow Milestones 128; Waller 10877; Wellcome III p.477; not in Blake.Vol. III. 1). Continuatio acanorum naturae detectorum. Delft, Kroonevelt, 1697. pp. [ii], 192, [8], with seven (one folding) engraved plates. First Latin edition. - Krivatsy 6788; Dobell 26; Waller 10880; Wellcome III p. 477. 2). Epistolae ad Societatem Regiam Anglicam et alios illustres viros. Leyden, Langerak, 1719. pp. [xvi], 429, [10], engraved vignette on title, with engraved portrait (bound at the beginning of the volume), and 25 (2 folding) engraved plates. First Latin edition. Blake 262; Dobell 27; Heirs of Hippocrates 382; Waller 10885; Wellcome III p.477.Volume IV. Epistolae physiologicae super naturae arcanis. Delft, Beman, 1719. pp. [xxii], 446, [xxxvi], with engraved frontispiece with portrait inset, and 31 (11 folding) engraved plates. First Latin edition. Blake p. 262; Dobell 28; Waller 10886; Wellcome III p. 477.

• GBP 8,500.00 > другие валюты
• номер заказа: SW262

• продавец: Bernard Quaritch Ltd. (GREAT BRITAIN)