KIRCHER (Athanase). Lot n° 45

Magnes sive de arte magnetica opus tripartitum, quo praeterquam quod universa magnetis natura, eiusque in omnibus artibus & scientiis usus, nova methodo explicetur, e viribus quoque & prodigiosis effectibus magneticarum, aliarumque abditarum naturae motionum in elementis, lapidibus, plantis & animalibus elucescentium, multa hucusque incognita naturae arcana, per physica, medica, chymica, & mathematica omnis generis experimenta recluduntur. Rome, Grignani, 1646. In-4 of [15] ff (of 16), 524 pp, [8] ff (index), pp. 525-916, [8] ff (index and errata). Contemporary ivory vellum. Without the engraved frontispiece. Numerous woodcuts in the text, including a large full-page woodcut on the verso of the title. Rare early edition. Ex-libris Léo Mérigot (Caillet 5779 for the 1643 edition). The 2 frontispieces and the 32 plates out of text are absent from this copy.