KIRCHER, Athanasius. Athanasii Kircheri e Soc. Jesu Mundus subterraneus.
Amstelodami: apud Joannem Janssonium à Waesberge & filios, 1678
A rare edition of Kircher's most significant work. Inspired by a trip the author took to Sicily, where he witnessed the eruptions of Mounts Etna and Stromboli, the work has great geological, geographical, and hermetic significance. The second part, dedicated to alchemy and the Earth's subterranean life, is significant. The work is accompanied by beautiful engravings depicting volcanic eruptions, the Earth's internal structure, and various maps of the world, including America.
Shirley 322. De Backer-Sommervogel IV, 1046-1077, 21; Dorbon, 2387; Ferguson I, 467; Merrill 17; Parcell, William, Signs and symbols in Kircher's Mundus Subterraneus, in Revolution in Geology from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, in Memoir of the Geological Society of America, January 2009.
2 volumes. Folio, 370 x 230 mm; quarter vellum and boards binding. Two allegorical frontispieces, 18 plates, one plate of Volvelle on pp. 166-167. The two portraits and 1 plate out text from the are missing. Water stains, plate on p. 247 of the second volume, torn with loss of image. Old handwritten notes on the back of the title pages. This lot is not subject to return.