1664 Experimental Philosophy Henry Power 1st ed microsc Start Price USD 999.99 Current Price USD 999.99 Time Left - Bid Count 1 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, August 25, 2008 End Time Saturday, August 30, 2008 Location Millington, TN See more about '1664 Experimental Philosophy Henry Power 1st ed microsc' Description Preferred Checkout If you are the winning bidder, click the Checkout button to go directly to my Checkout page! For fastest processing of your order, please use Vendio Checkout!       Payment | Checkout | Shipping | Details 1664 Experimental Philosophy Henry Power 1st ed microsc Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album Click to View Image Album Up for auction is a 1st Edition of Henry Power's (1623-1668) Experimental Philosophy published in 1664.  It was the first work published in English on microscopy. It preceded Hooke's more famous Micrographia by one year.   This originally leather bound volume contains the "three books" spoken of in the title.  The cover is beautifully trimmed with scrollwork and the spine contains both the book title and date of publication.  All pages are beautifully intact - larger foldout page is also intact.  Observations, condition, and shipping and handling sections appear after the excerpts.  Please read before bidding. Power's work is important for what it reflects about the first vigorous phase of experimentation and observation carried out by the early Royal Society. It contains observations and experiments on air pressure related to those that made Boyle famous. It contains observations on the airs in mines, spontaneous generation and numerous other phenomena which were under discussion at the early Royal Society meetings. The book shows a strong and openly acknowledged debt to the natural philosphy of Descartes. The title page says the following:  "Experimental philosophy, in three books : containing new experiments microscopical, mercurial, magnetical : with some deductions, and probable hypotheses, raised from them, in avouchment and illustration of the now famous atomical hypothesis. London : Printed by T. Roycroft, for John Martin and James Allestry ..., 1664." Henry Power Henry Power was born in 1628, and studied at Christ College, Cambridge. He became Fellow of the Royal Society in 1663. He was one of the first British scientists to experiment with microscopes. Power became interested in microscopes around 1660. It was Richard Reeves who supplied him with instruments, both telescopes and microscopes. His studies were published in 1664, under the title Experimental Philosophy. The first volume of this book was already finished by 1661, containing observations done with a compound microscope. In 1662, however, he discovered that the field lens could be omitted and from then onwards, he preferred single microscopes, as one of his letters to Reeves attests. Power was critical about the possibilities of the microscope, he complained about chromatic aberration, i.e. the effect of colored objects on the eye through a microscope. Power's Experimental Philosophy is an important contribution to British science. It is a pioneer of the new experimental learning, treating not only natural history but also grains of sand, globules of mercury, the structure of metals, and botany. Power examins bees and eels in vinegar, and scrutinizes lines on paper, clothes, metal powder, pollen leaves and sparks. The book is quite similar to Hooke's Micrographia - the same observations appear in both works; but unlike Hooke's volume, Power's does not include any pictures. Samuel Pepys was very fond of the book, which was written mostly for the amateur and the virtuoso. Hooke was less contented, stating in 1663 that 'there is very little in Dr Power's microscopical observations but what you have since observed.' The book went out of fashion quite quickly, it was definitely out of date by 1670. If we compare the book's description of the flea, for instance, to Hooke's Micrographia, we can clearly see why. Excerpts from the book From the Preface: Dioptrical Glasses (which are now wrought up to that height and curiosity we see ) are but a Modern Invention: Antiquity gives us not the least hing thereof, neither do their Records furnish us with any thing that does Antedate our late discoveries of the Telescope, or Microscope. The want of which incomparable Artifice made them not onely erre in their fond Caelestial Hypothesis, and Crystallin wheel-work of the Heavens above us, but also in their nearer Observations of the minutest Bodies and smallest sort of Creatures about us, which have been by them but slightly and perfunctorily described, as being the disregarded pieces and huslement of the Creation; when (alas!) those sons of Sense were not able to see how curiously the minutest things of the world are wrought, and with what eminent signatures of Divine Providence they were inrich'd and embellish'd, without our Dioptrical assistance. How much therefore are we oblig'd to modern Industry, that of late hath discover'd this advantageous Artifice of Glasses, and furnish'd our necessities with such artificial Eys, that now neither the fineness of the Body, nor the smalness of the parts, nor the subtilty of its motion, can secure them from our discovery? From the Of the Flea: It seems as big as a little Prawn or Shrimp, with a small head, but in it two fair eyes globular and prominent of the circumference of a spangle, in the midst of which you might (through the diaphanous Cornea) see a round blackish spot, which is the pupil or apple of the eye, beset round with a greenish glistering circle, which is the Iris, (as vibrissant and gloruous as a Cats eye) most admirable to behold. How critical is Nature in all her works! that to so small and contemptible an Animal hath given such an exquisite fabrick of the eye, even to the distinction of parts. Had our famous Muffet but seen them, he would not have spoke so doubtfully as he did: Oculos - saith he, speaking of Flea's - habere, verisimile est, tum quod suos eligunt recessus, tum quod appetente luce se subducunt. He has also a very long neck, jemmar'd like the tail of a Lobster, which he could nimly move any way, his head, body, and limbs also, be all of blackish armourwork, shining and polished with jemmar's, most excellently contrived for the nimble motion of all the parts: nature having armed hims thus Cap-a-pe like a Curiazier in warr, that he might not be hurt by the great leaps he takes; to which purpose also he hath so excellent an eye, the better to look before he leap: to which add this advantageous contrivance of the joynts of his hinder legs which bend backwards towards his belly, and the knees of flexure of his fore-legs forwards (as in most quadrupeds ) that he might thereby take a better rise when he leaps. His feet are slit into claws or talons, that he might the better stick to what he lights upon: he hath also two pointers before which grow out of the forehead, by which he tryes and feels all objects, whether they be edible or no. From the Of the Butterfly: This Animal might well deserve our Observation without the assistance of a Microscope; for who does not admire the variegated diversity of colours in her expansed wings? which do not onely out-vye the Peacock in all his pride, but does as far out-go the strip'd braver of the Tulip, as that did Solomon in all his glory: but view them in the Microscope, and you may see the very streaks of the Coelestial pencil that drew them. From the Of the little white Eels or Snigs, in Vineger or Aleeger: Secondly, the manner and best way of observing them is, upon a plain piece of white glass, whereon two or three drops of the said Liquors are laid; and so laying that glass on the object-plate, and fitting your Microscope to it, you may distinctly see them to play and swim in those little Ponds of Vineger (for so big every drop almost seems ) to the very brink and banks of their fluid element. From the Conclusion: These are the few Experiments that my Time and glass hath as yet afforded me an opportunity to make, which I hasten out into the World to stay the longing thereof; but you may expect shortly from Doctor Wren, and Master Hooke, two Ingenious Members of the Royal Society at Gresham, the Cuts and Pictures drawn at large, and to the very life of these and other Microscopical Representations. Observations:  This item is from my grandfather's estate.  He was a general surgeon in New York City from the 1930's until his death in 1974.  This book has been in storage since that time, until it was rediscovered last week.  He was a collector of everything optics including microscopes, telescopes, stanhopes, cameras and all the literature that goes along with it.  He purchased the best New York had to offer. Condition:  Given this book's age it is in excellant condition.  I am not an expert on book condition so please look at all the enlarged pictures.  It appears to be the original binding.  A burn in page 163/164 is small, pea sized. Four pages were dogeared a long time ago, but are now flat and barely show a crease.  There are partial tab like pages in the front and the back.  We believe these to be part of the book binding process and not missing pages.   The book's printer misnumbered the pages at two places but the content of the pages flows appropriately and is contiguous.  The first is at page 61, the next page number is also 61, then comes 62, 63 and then 65.  The next misnumbering begins at page 184, the next page number is 187.  As stated the content of the pages flows and is contiguous.  If you know of someone with a copy of this book it would be interesting to hear from them on this matter. The pictures we have taken are representative of the entire book.  The owner's name, "John Hall" is handwritten on the inside front page, with more information, but we cannot make it out.  Some pencil marks that have been erased are also below this signature. Shipping and handling:  Winning bidder in the continental US to pay 15.00 shipping and handling via INSURED FedEx Ground.  All others please email for a quote.  Please amend our vacation terms as follows for this item.  If payment is received by Saturday August 30th your purchase will ship out via FedEx Ground on September 2nd.  Otherwise your purchase will not ship out until September 15th unless we are able to work something out with the winning bidder.WE WILL BE ON VACATION FROM SEPT. 1 - 14.  ALL ITEMS WITH PAYMENTS RECEIVED BY AUG. 29 WILL SHIP OUT BY SEPT. 2.  ANY ITEMS WITH PAYMENTS RECEIVED AFTER SEPT. 14 WILL BE SHIPPED ON SEPT. 15. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE. 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