HERO (HERON) OF ALEXANDRIA.

Spiritali di Herone Alessandrino. Ridotti in lingua Volgare da Alessandro Giorgi da Vrbino.

Urbino, Bartholomeo, e Simone Ragusij fratelli, 1592. Small 4to. Hcalf (19th century), gilt spine, raised bands, titlelabel with gilt lettering. Spine a little rubbed and fronthinge weakening. Corners strenghtened with vellum. Ff (4),82. With around 90 woodcuts in the text including one on the title-page. A stamp on verso of titlepage (the Salamander Collection). Title-page with light browning. A few scattered brownspots, but internally clean. Verso of last leaf with errata. Light fraying to the first 3 leaves.

Second Italian edition of Heron's main work (Spiritalium), being his first publication. The work stimulated and contributed substantially to the interest in pneumatics that arose suddenly in the late 16th century and led to the work of Toricelli and Boyle.

The "Pneumatics" was not published in Greek until 1693. It is one of the major sources to our knowledge of the techniques and mechanics of Antiquity, and the many hydraulic and mechanical inventions by Hero are here depicted for the first time in print.
The work includes studies of pneumatics and mechanics and include 89 illustrations of different inventions, such as siphons, fountains, engines, an account of a small stationary steam-engine (which is of the form now known as Avery's patent, the double-force pump etc., which "by the union of (compressed) air, earth, fire, and water, and the concurrence of...elementary principles..., supply the most pressing wants of the human life, (or) produce amazement and alarm."

The book describes many gadgets and magical tricks and includes the first suggestion of a steam engine (see f. 53 verso).
Sarton, Introduction...Vol. I pp. 208 ff. - Adams H:372 - Poggendorff I: 1084. - Brunet III,129.

Order-nr.: 54283