Horváth - Physica Particularis - 1782

THE PHYSICIST WHO WANTED TO EXPLAIN THE UNIVERSE: HORVÁTH BETWEEN SCIENCE AND DOCTRINE
Johann Baptist Horváth’s Physica particularis represents one of the most significant scientific manuals produced in the Jesuit academic environment of the late eighteenth century. Printed in Venice by Antonio Zatta in 1782, this edition disseminates in northern Italy the scientific teaching developed in the colleges of Central Europe. The work addresses the specific phenomena of natural physics—mechanics, hydrostatics, optics, and other emerging disciplines—integrating Aristotelian heritage with the new scientific theories of the Newtonian age. The final folded plates, dedicated to instruments and experiments, bear witness to the growing importance of practical demonstration in teaching physics in the eighteenth century.
MARKET VALUE
Copies of Physica particularis printed by Zatta in 1782 appear with moderate rarity on the antiquarian market. Complete copies with the plates and in an era-bound binding generally fall in a range between about 500 and 700 euros. Copies particularly well preserved or with documented academic provenance can command slightly higher values.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Contemporary full vellum binding with gilt title in a label on the spine. Frontispiece with an engraved wreath. With 10 folded engraved plates placed at the end of the volume. Some insect holes and some traces of moisture. In old books with a multisecular history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (4); 10nn; 576; (4).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Physica particularis.
Venetiis, Antonius Zatta, 1782.
Johann Baptist Horváth.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
In the eighteenth century the Society of Jesus played a fundamental role in the diffusion of scientific teaching in Europe. Jesuit colleges progressively adopted a physics pedagogy increasingly open to experimentation and to new scientific theories. Horváth’s Physica particularis fits into this pedagogical tradition, offering a systematic treatment of the natural phenomena specific to complement the general teaching of natural philosophy. The text addresses topics such as motion, the properties of fluids, light, heat, and other physical phenomena, often accompanied by experimental demonstrations. The final plates illustrate scientific instruments and experimental apparatus, reflecting the growing importance of laboratory practice in science teaching. The Venetian edition also testifies to the role of Venice and the publisher Zatta in disseminating European scientific literature in the late eighteenth century.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Johann Baptist Horváth (1732–1799) was a Hungarian Jesuit, professor of physics and philosophy in the colleges of the Society of Jesus. He belonged to that generation of Jesuit scholars who contributed to the modernization of scientific teaching in the eighteenth century, integrating the new theories of modern physics with the scholastic philosophical tradition. His manuals were used in numerous academic settings across Central Europe and helped disseminate a systematic and didactically structured scientific culture.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Physica particularis was published in several editions during the second half of the eighteenth century, intended mainly for use in colleges and universities. The Venetian edition of 1782, printed by Antonio Zatta, represents the first Venetian printing of the work and attests to the international circulation of Jesuit scientific manuals. The octavo format and the presence of explanatory plates indicate a publishing production aimed at university teaching and use in philosophical studies.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU / OPAC SBN, bibliographic records for Physica particularis, Venice, Antonio Zatta, 1782.
WorldCat, international catalogs for eighteenth-century editions of Johann Baptist Horváth’s work.
Catalogue BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France), records for the Jesuit scientific works of the eighteenth century.
Sommervogel, Bibliothèque de la Compagnie de Jésus, repertory of Jesuit works, entry Horváth.
Studies on scientific teaching in Jesuit colleges of the eighteenth century and on the diffusion of school physics manuals.