AGRICOLA (Georgius). De re metallica Libri XII.... Lot 132

AGRICOLA (Georgius). De re metallica Libri XII. Basel, 1621. In-folio, fawn calf, cold fillet, red parts (Binding of the time). Second edition of this classic work, the first treatise on mining and metallurgy in the 16th century. One of the books is devoted to animals living underground, another to miners' diseases. The 273 woodcuts, most of them mid-page or full-page, 2 folding, are the work of R. Manval Deutsch, they constitute a precious iconographic source on the techniques used in the 16th century. The original edition was published by Froben in 1556. Many leaves completely faded, condition due to the quality of the paper.