Books

An exceptional copy of this rare early Venetian printing of Ibn Sina's medical encyclopaedia in Latin, issued with De viribus cordis as often. This copy is in a beautifully preserved Italian period binding. No complete copies are traced at auction in over 80 years. The first edition of Avicenna's Canon, in the standard Latin translation by Gerard of Cremona, appeared in Padua in December 1472. The original Arabic text was first printed in Rome in 1593. De viribus cordis, a treatise on psychiatry, was translated into Latin by Arnaldo de Villa Nova and featured as an addendum to early editions of the Canon from 1476. Drawing from the writings of Hippocrates, Galen, and Aristotle, as well as from the author's own experience as physician to the Emir of Bockhara, Canon "stands for the epitome of all precedent development, the final codification of all Graeco-Arabic medicine" (Neuburger, p. 368). Published in 17 editions before 1500 and consistently reprinted afterwards, this work dominated as the most authoritative medical text in universities for five centuries. It is divided into five books dealing respectively with the scope of medicine and anatomy, medical substances, special pathology, general pathology, and compound drugs. The book "contains many original observations. Avicenna recognized the distribution of diseases by water and soil... In the section Materia Medica he records seven hundred and sixty drugs and, for the first time, the preparation and properties of alcohol... Avicenna's work transmitted to the West the ideas of the Greek writers and also introduced ideas of his own which in some respects superseded them" (PMM). The binding can be securely identified as Italian from the style of the blind-stamped motifs and from the position of the brass catches on the rear board (as opposed to the front board), as well as their peculiar trilobate shape and engraved decoration. Similarly shaped and decorated catches or brass fittings can be seen on bindings of this period illustrated by de Marinis (cfr. vol. II, no. 2507; vol. I, no. 369) and in the online database of the Civic Library Angelo Mai (binding Sala 1 D 8 7). The blind rolls of rosettes and palmettes, and the small cruciform tools, were all very popular designs at the time and are not indicative of a specific geographical area. The binder has used, as a rear endpaper, a bifolium from an unidentified printed edition of Stellarum fata anni 1477, an astronomical and astrological prognostic for the year 1477 written in Bologna by the Polish scholar Nicolaus Wodka (c.1442-1494). This is a remarkable survival, as this text is otherwise only known in a single manuscript example preserved in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich (Ms. Monac. 647, fol. 51ss). Wodka was teaching astronomy in Bologna in the late 1470s, before moving to Urbino, and subsequently to Krakow, where he became one of Copernicus's teachers. Throughout his career, he wrote a few astrological texts. Prognostics were popular and those by prominent astronomers often printed in multiple centres simultaneously. This edition of Stellarum fata could have been printed in Bologna, Venice, or Rome. READ MORE Median quarto (226 x 168 mm), in two parts. Contemporary Italian sheep over bevelled boards, rebacked with original spine laid down, spine with blind-ruled raised bands, blind lines and ornaments in compartments, covers panelled in blind, first border with scroll of rosettes, second border with all-over pattern of small crosses, central panel with three juxtaposed rolls of palmettes and rosettes, bifolium from an unidentified printed edition of Nicolaus Wodka's Stellarum fata (1476) used as rear endpaper, brass catches engraved with "AVE" and floral designs, traces of ties. Text in gothic type, double column, part headings printed in red, that for book V omitted. Early page marker made from a vellum manuscript (Hebrew text, red initials) loosely inserted. Corners worn, a few small worm holes to boards extending partially to text (affecting some letters, but entirely legible), intermittent faint damp stains to margins, otherwise generally bright and clean. A beautifully preserved, well-margined, and crisp copy. BSB-Ink A-959; GW 3120; Heirs of Hippocrates 67 (1498 ed.); ISTC ia01422000; Garrison-Morton online 43 (1473 ed.); Printing and the Mind of Man 11 (1st ed.). Tammaro de Marinis, La Legatura Artistica in Italia nei Secoli XV e XVI, 1960; Max Neuburger, His

The publication of Avicenna's "The Canon of Medicine" (Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb) in the early 11th century marked a monumental milestone in the history of medical science and publishing. This comprehensive medical encyclopedia, authored by the Persian polymath Ibn Sina (980–1037 AD), known in the West as Avicenna, synthesizes the medical knowledge of ancient and medieval worlds, weaving together the threads of Greek, Roman, and Islamic medical wisdom into a coherent and systematic narrative that would dominate the medical landscape for centuries to come. "The Canon of Medicine" is methodically organized into five books, each serving a distinct purpose but together forming a complete body of medical knowledge. The first book lays down the general principles of medicine, introducing theories of health, sickness, and treatment. The second book catalogues about 800 natural remedies, emphasizing the importance of materia medica in treatment. The third and fourth books are devoted to diseases: the former focusing on ailments specific to certain body parts, and the latter on systemic diseases affecting the body more generally. The fifth book, a practical formulary, provides guidance on the preparation of various remedies. The work is deeply rooted in the philosophical and scientific traditions of Aristotle, Hippocrates, and Galen, yet it also incorporates a substantial amount of Islamic thought and Avicenna’s own observations. This blend of sources and Avicenna's critical approach to existing medical knowledge exemplify the synthesis of diverse intellectual traditions that characterized the Islamic Golden Age. The significance of "The Canon of Medicine" in the realm of medical publishing cannot be overstated. Its translation into Latin in the 12th century facilitated its dissemination across Europe, where it became a foundational text in many medieval universities. This widespread adoption attests to its unparalleled influence on the development of medicine in both the Islamic world and the West, shaping medical education and practice for centuries. Avicenna's holistic approach to health, which underscored the significance of diet, climate, and lifestyle, was revolutionary. This perspective not only broadened the scope of medical practice but also highlighted the interconnectedness of environmental and personal well-being, principles that resonate with contemporary holistic and preventive medicine paradigms. While modern medical science has evolved beyond the specifics of Avicenna's Canon, the work's historical and philosophical significance endures. It stands as a testament to the enduring quest for knowledge and the synthesis of ideas across different cultures and epochs. "The Canon of Medicine" not only illuminated the path for future generations of medical practitioners but also established a benchmark for the compilation and organization of scientific knowledge, influencing the standards of medical publishing.