LEEUWENHOEK (Antonie van) Continuatio Arcanorum... Lot 44

LEEUWENHOEK (Antonie van) Continuatio Arcanorum naturae detectorum Lugduni Batavorum [Leiden], Joh. Arnold. Langerak, 1722 ; in-8 square, granite calf, three cold fillets on the boards, spine gilt, red title page, [contemporary binding], spine ends (upper spine end partly split) and edges rubbed. [5] ff., 192 p., [4] ff. and 7 copper-engraved figures outside text. Second edition (original ed. 1697) of these letters sent to members of the Royal Society of London and continuation of the Arcana naturæ detecta. Although uneducated and ignorant of Latin, this Dutch naturalist and micrographer (1632-1723) remains a key figure in the history of medicine and was the first to describe the circulation of blood, the shape of blood cells, and to discover spermatozoa and the lens. Label of the bookshop Mme Ve Courcier, in Paris. Missing the frontispiece. Some foxing. Waller's Library, 10881. Dobell, 26a.