Bisschop - Pharmacia Galenica & chymica - 1657

VERY RARE First Edition of Famous Pharmacist Textbook

(Jan Bishop)
Pharmacia Galenica & chymica, that is apothecary and the alchymist or distilling art. Understanding the principles and foundations of the selber. Verdeylt in eight books, for the education of pharmacists. By a lover of selber art.
Amsterdam, Jan van Ravesteyn, 1657
[8]+460+[12] pp, frontispiece
Parchment binding (16x10cm; soiled, without bindings), pages somewhat thumbed at the bottom but overall fairly clean, ex-libris label (Paul Gavelle)

Illustrated with an engraved title with the text 'New light of apothecaries and distillery art' and depiction of the interior of a pharmacy shop; also some woodcuts in the text (stillers)

Reissues in 1661, 1662 and 1667 (Amsterdam, Rotterdam & Antwerp), also in 1683 under the title 't Nieuw Ligt des Apothekers (Jan ten Hoorn & Jan Bouman, Amsterdam)
The author is the Bruges pharmacist and Jesuit Jan Bisschop (1590-1664). The book is said to have been published in Ghent for the first time in 1653 (year of approval), but a copy of this has never been found. Source: P. Boeynaems, 'Brother Jan Bisschop and his Pharmacia galenica et chymica' in Circle for the history of pharmacy in the Benelux 1957, 15 p 9-11; L.J. Vandewiele, 'The light of the pharmacists' in ibidem 1961, 27 p 1-8; L.J. Vandewiele, 'Some new data on pharmacist Jan Bisschop, Jesuit' in ibidem 1975, 50 p 62-68; A.G. Homblé, 'Jan Bisschop: pharmacist and Jesuit Bruges 1590-Ghent 1664' in Biekorf, 1978, 78.