Beschreibung:

AGRICOLA, Georgius (1494-1555). De re metallica. Basel: Hieronymus Froben and Nicolaus Episcopius, March 1561.
AGRICOLA, Georgius (1494-1555). De re metallica. Basel: Hieronymus Froben and Nicolaus Episcopius, March 1561. 2° (320 x 216mm). Roman and italic types, printer's woodcut device on title and at end, OVER 270 PICTORIAL AND TECHNICAL WOODCUTS by Hans Rudolf Manuel Deutsch (1525-1571) and perhaps Blasius Weffring (fl.1525-1572), many full-page, full sheet containing 7 woodcut illustrations cut up and inserted between pp.96-7 and 108-9. (Both inserted leaves of woodcut illustrations trimmed just into images, the first lightly frayed, chipped and dust-soiled fore-edge, occasional light browning and soiling, worming to front pastedown with very minor track affecting margin of title and into gathering c.) Contemporary calf-backed vellum, gilt spine, red morocco gilt lettering-piece (endpapers sometime renewed, head and tail caps worn). Provenance : occasional early ink annotation at beginning. Second Latin edition of the first systematic treatise on mining and metallurgy, which remained the standard work on the subject for over two centuries. The vivid and large woodcut illustrations depicting a wide variety of mining techniques and processes, engineering and equipment in action, are integral to Agricola's text and were used for over a century in subsequent editions. Adams A-350; Dibner Heralds 88; STC/BMC German 8; Durling 53; Hoover 18; PMM 79 (1556 edition); Wellcome I, 68.