Johann Rudolph Glauber (1604-1670) - Operis mineralis. Pars prima (-tertia) - 1657

Three works on minerals by one of Germany's foremost 17th century experts in the field. His theoretical knowledge combined with his practical experience set him apart from other scholars in the field, and he is sometimes regarded as the first chemical engineer. His career spanned several decades, during which time as an entrepreneur of chemical agents he discovered sodium sulfate or "Glauber's Salt". This compound was extensively employed for its medicinal properties and made Glauber temporarily a rich man. The first part of the work offered here describes the process of producing the salt as well as a method for extracting gold from pebbles. The second part investigates the nature of ore deposits. And the third is a defense of Paracelsus. There is a fourth work [Tractatus de Medicina. Amsterdam, 1658] by Glauber bound in at the end on the medical properties of vegetables, animals, and minerals. Glauber stands as an interesting link between the theoretical musings of Paracelsus and the practical employment of chemical compounds for medicinal purposes, and in his own time was viewed with a fair degree of suspicion for his "non-scientific" Paracelsus sympathies. This collection includes the first editions of parts two and three and the second edition of part one. 8vo (15.5 x 9.5cm), 67pp., [ii]; 47pp.; 110pp. & (75pp., [ii]). Title-page with antique inscription inked out, lightly toned throughout, a few leaves shaved close at bottom margin with loss of signature letter but not main text. Bound in contemporary vellum, some soiling and light wear.