Description: Propugnaculum Alchymiae: Adversus Quosdam Misochymicos, Phisophos Umbratiles, Naturae Humanae Laruas Qui Se Philosophos Profiteri Audent... Fabre, Pierre-Jean Tolouse Pierre Bosc 1645 Vellum 8vo 8" - 9" tall 2 preliminary leaves, 128, [4] page; 17 cm. Small octavo. Woodcut printer's mark on the title showing shepherd and sheep, woodcut head pieces. Early vellum with lovely patina, tiny hand lettered ink title to spine. A scarce and important first edition. Pierre-Jean Fabre (1558-1658) was a well-known French alchemical doctor, who documented his transmutation of quicksilver and lead into pure silver using the elusive Philosopher's Stone in front of clerical witnesses on July 22,1627. He wrote extensively on alchemy and in this work he exposes those "shadowy philosophers" who foolishly laugh at the true chemistry he espouses, while he also writes of the nature, actual whereabouts of and record of his use of the Philosopher's Stone. Fabre practiced medicine according to spagyric, alchemical, principles, inspired by the work of Paracelsus and was known for treating not only Louis XIII, but also a young woman who had been ill for years -- after he restored her to health, he married her. His writing moved towards an argued defense of “chemical philosophy”, which he considered to be the only true natural philosophy. Fabre was also strongly attracted to mystical aspects of chemistry, drawing parallels between the chemical operations of alchemy and the sacraments of the Christian church. He thought that true alchemists were like priests; the spirit of mercury was like the angels; the earth was like the Virgin Mary; and the life-giving properties of salt gave it a valid connection to Christ. He maintained that the mythological "labors of Hercules" were allegories, embodying the arcana of hermetic philosophy and that the Philosopher's Stone was readily available to those who knew where to look. This is the first edition of this scarce and important alchemical work. Although OCLC633125811 and MDZ show a 1612 edition, examination of the digital record shows that this is a misreading because of an error in the image. Only 1 auction record for this edition in the last 100 years, none for sale, and not many in libraries, except digital copies. Condiion is very good. The vellum front cover is a bit bowed, chipped at the bottom edge but otherwise good. Interior has a Parisian bookseller's sticker with a date 1782 written on it. Some light pencil marginalia throughout, some light soiling throughout, but otherwise clean and firmly bound. OCLC 81842411 WE ARE LOCATED IN CANADA but we can ship using USPS International Customers -- we may be able to ship more cheaply than we show - please e-mail us to see what we can offer to your location. US Customers - We ship twice or more a week using the US Postal Service via our courier from Canada to our mailing address in New York and then on to US addresses.We are able to offer competitive rates with this service, but if you require quicker shipping, please inquire. For books over $799 we may ship via CanadaPost from Toronto. Canadian customers -- we may have to charge HST/GST for Canadian purchases (generally 5% for books). However, shipping is generally lower than on ebay's shipping cost calculator. Email me with your province and I'll be happy to calculate HST and shipping. We are happy to combine shipping! For our international customers, import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying. These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick the item up -- do not confuse them with additional shipping charges. We really cannot show merchandise below value or mark items as "gifts" - it can get us into all kinds of trouble with customs. Since Brexit, shipping to the UK may require a VAT invoice. We have been selling books for over 20 years and pack and ship them with care. Thanks for bidding and thanks for being a fellow book lover. See our other listings for more unusual and rare books.
Price: 4000 USD
Location: Niagara Falls, New York
End Time: 2024-12-02T17:19:47.000Z
Shipping Cost: 16 USD
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Author: Fabre, Pierre-Jean
Book Title: Propugnaculum Alchymiae: Adversus Quosdam Misochymicos,
Cover: Vellum
Language: Latin
Publisher: Pierre Bosc
Publication Year: 1645
Place Published: Tolouse
Pages: 128
Format: Vellum
Title: 1645 1st Ed Fabre Alchemy Philosopher's Stone Hermetic Spagyric
Edition: 1st Edition
Book Condition: Very Good with no dust jacket
Features: 2 preliminary leaves, 128, [4] page; 17 cm. Small octavo., Woodcut printer's mark on the title showing shepherd and sheep,, woodcut head pieces. Early vellum with lovely patina, tiny hand, lettered ink title to spine. A scarce and important first, edition. Pierre-Jean Fabre (1558-1658) was a well-known French, alchemical doctor, who documented his transmutation of, quicksilver and lead into pure silver using the elusive, Philosopher's Stone in front of clerical witnesses on July, 22,1627. He wrote extensively on alchemy and in this work he, exposes those "shadowy philosophers" who foolishly laugh at the, true chemistry he espouses, while he also writes of the nature,, actual whereabouts of and record of his use of the, Philosopher's Stone. Fabre practiced medicine according to, spagyric, alchemical, principles, inspired by the work of, Paracelsus and was known for treating not only Louis XIII, but, also a young woman who had been ill for years -- after he, restored her to health, he married her. His writing moved, towards an argued defense of “chemical philosophy”, which he, considered to be the only true natural philosophy. Fabre was, also strongly attracted to mystical aspects of chemistry,, drawing parallels between the chemical operations of alchemy, and the sacraments of the Christian church. He thought that, true alchemists were like priests; the spirit of mercury was, like the angels; the earth was like the Virgin Mary; and the, life-giving properties of salt gave it a valid connection to, Christ. He maintained that the mythological "labors of, Hercules" were allegories, embodying the arcana of hermetic, philosophy and that the Philosopher's Stone was readily, available to those who knew where to look. This is the first, edition of this scarce and important alchemical work. Although
