Bibliotheca chemica curiosa, seu Rerum ad alchemiam pertinentium thesaurus instructissimus [...] artis auriferae [...] tractatus omnes [...].

2 vol., folio: [20, incl. front.]-938 [= 936], [4]-904 pp.; 30 pl. (browning throughout, engr. of pl. 4 in vol. II cut out and pasted on, rare mss annot. with a pen).

Mod. vellum, gilt ornam. spines with raised bands and red labels (spine of vol. II with a few scratches and upper left joint sl. split). Good copy (usual spotting).

Very rare famous collected edition of Manget (1652-1742), the Swiss doctor who was personnal physician to Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg service. Geneva issue (another issue with "Coloniae Allobrogum" in the imprint). "The most complete collection of alchemical texts ever published, containing 140 treatises [...]. For the historian of chemistry this is the most important and indispensable work" (Duveen). Vol. II contains after title a catalogue of medical books sold by Chouet and his colleagues. Ill. with 1 full-page engr. portrait by J. G. Sciller after Guillibaud and 30 full-page engr. plates, some engr. with emblematic subjects. The last text of vol. I is titled "Mutus liber" and consists of 15 beautiful pl. of hieroglyphic figures explaining the Hermetic philosophy. General title printed in red and black. Woodcut mark on titles. Printed in 2 cols.
Ref. Duveen 387 (= Ferguson II:68). - Blake 285. - Caillet 7071. - Wellcome IV:42. - Honeyman 2128.
Prov. Ownership entries crossed out on titles.