Piemontese - De Secreti - 1628

Alchemy, Medicine, and Art: The Secrets Revealed by the Esoteric Chemist
This 1628 Venetian edition of De secreti by Alessio Piemontese belongs to the mature phase of the extraordinary editorial success of the work, when the 'book of secrets' had established itself as an essential tool for practical and experimental knowledge. Far from pure speculation and academic science, the text gathers operational knowledge ranging from domestic medicine to materials chemistry, from cosmetics to alchemy, offering an encyclopedic repertoire intended for apothecaries, artisans, empirical doctors, and curious readers. In the early seventeenth century, De secreti still represented a meeting point between hermetic tradition and the emerging experimental mindset.
Market value
Complete 17th-century editions of Alessio Piemontese's 'De secreti', especially those published before the mid-17th century, generally fall within a market range of 1,200 to 1,500 euros. Well-preserved copies, complete with all parts and in contemporary binding, can exceed these valuations, particularly due to the collecting interest linked to the history of science and alchemy.

Physical description and condition
Hardcover with a leather patch and gold title. Widespread wear on the boards and spine, abrasions on the headbands and hinges. The work is divided into four parts, each with its own frontispiece. Frontispieces with woodcut borders and central vignettes. Woodcut initials. Pages with some browning. In ancient books, with a multi-century history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 16nn; 256; 16nn; 128; 6nn; 74; 12nn; 148; (2).

Full title and author
The secrets of R. D. Alessio Piemontese.
Venice, at the house of Pietro Miloco, 1628.
Alessio Piemontese

Context and Significance
De secreti constitutes one of the fundamental texts of pre-modern technical-scientific culture. The book gathers procedures for preparing medicines, ointments, distilled waters, cosmetics, colors, metal alloys, and remedies against numerous diseases, intertwining empiricism, alchemical tradition, and artisanal knowledge. In 1628, the work retains its function as a universal practical manual, at a time when the boundary between natural magic and experimental science was still fluid and productive.

Biography of the Author
Alessio Piemontese is a somewhat enigmatic figure of Renaissance culture. Active in the first half of the 16th century, he is traditionally considered the author or curator of a vast collection of practical 'secrets.' His name is probably a pseudonym, hiding behind it circles of apothecaries, empirical doctors, and alchemists. The work attributed to him achieved exceptional dissemination throughout Europe, profoundly influencing the transmission of technical and experimental knowledge.

Printing history and circulation
Since the first half of the sixteenth century, the De secreti achieved unprecedented editorial success, with numerous Italian and foreign editions. The Venetian seventeenth-century reprints, such as that of 1628, attest to the continued demand and the constant updating of the text, often expanded and corrected to meet the new needs of the public and the transformations of practical knowledge.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Eamon, Science and the Secrets of Nature.
Thorndike, History of Magic and Experimental Science.
Blair, Too Much to Know
WorldCat, census of the sixteenth-century editions of De secreti by Alessio Piemontese.