Porta, Giovanni Battista della | Natural Magick, first edition in English

Porta, Giovanni Battista della 

Natural Magick. London: Thomas Young and Samuel Speed, 1658

Folio (282 x 183 mm). Engraved title by R. Gaywood depicting the author and eight symbolic scenes, letterpress title printed in black and red, woodcut head and tailpieces and initials, in-text woodcut illustrations throughout; browning primarily to edges, some staining and foxing, closed tear to Nn2, some margins frayed slightly. Contemporary English calf, spine in six compartments, second with gilt-lettered red leather label; upper joint cracked with upper cover nearly detached, spine ends and one corner repaired, extremities rubbed.

First edition in English of Porta’s best-known work.

Magiae naturalis, first published in four books in 1558, delves into 16th-century pseudoscience including topics like the beautification of women, making counterfeit gold, and invisible writing. It was later printed in twenty volumes in 1589, from which the present lot was translated. While much of the work comprises “uncritical reports of the marvelous and miraculous,” one of Porta’s more serious contributions to scientific study was his exploration of the similarities between the camera obscura and the pupil of the human eye (Norman).

REFERENCES

Norman 1726

PROVENANCE

Richard Creswell (bookplate dated 4 October 1659 to upper pastedown)—Henry Wascy (remnants of ownership inscription dated 1666 to upper pastedown)—“EW” manuscript monogram to upper pastedown—Matthew Whiting (18th-century engraved bookplate to upper pastedown)—Frederick Spiegelberg (booklabel to upper pastedown)—Harry F. Marks (bookseller’s ticket to lower pastedown)—Haskell F. Norman (bookplate to front free endpaper; Christie’s New York, lot 163, 18 March 1998;)