Thomas Hobbes - OPERA - 1668

Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury – Philosophical Works, written in Latin, All (part of the second and first of the volumes of the Opera Omnia).

21 × 16 cm. Pages: 44; 146; (8), 261 pp.

Contents:
- Problemata Physica (with 2 folded plates)
- Examinatio et Emendatio Mathematicae Hodiernae (with 1 folded plate)
- Elementorum Philosophiae Sectio Prima – De Corpore (with 13 folded plates)
Numerous figures engraved in the text.

Frontispiece restored, margins repaired and walk-way marks (some repaired with plates added at the end). One plate very faded. Missing portrait (common in miscellanies of volumes I-II). Overall in good condition for a 17th‑century volume, text intact and readable. Contemporary vellum binding.

This is one of the fundamental Latin editions of Hobbes’ philosophical works, printed in Amsterdam (where the author had to turn to publish freely). It includes central texts of his thought:

Natural philosophy and physics (De Corpore and Problemata Physica), with discussions on vacuum, motion, gravity, geometry and natural phenomena.

His critique of contemporary mathematics (Examinatio…), aimed in particular at John Wallis.

These works represent the core of Hobbes’ mechanical and materialist philosophy, which deeply influenced European scientific and political thought in the Seicento.

The Opera Philosophica of 1668 is the standard Latin collective edition of Hobbes’ works, edited by the author himself in old age and printed by the famous printer Joan Blaeu. It is a milestone of modern philosophy, bringing together in a single corpus the foundations of his physics, geometry and theory of knowledge.

Copies with all the folded plates are very rare on the market.

This miscellany of Tome I and II, with its rich iconographic apparatus (16 folded plates in total + figures in the text), represents an important opportunity for collectors of philosophy, science and old books. The presence of numerous mathematical and physical plates further increases its documentary and collector’s value.

Ideal for auctions of ancient books and important 17th‑century philosophy collections.