DE DRACONIBUS VOLANTIBUS, AC INTERSPERSIS EX NATURA CURIOSIS ALIIS, EPISTOLICA DISSERTATIO
(DRAGONS). KIRCHMAIER, GEORG CASPAR
Published by Henckelius, Wittebergae [Wittenberg], 1675
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Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA), McMinnville, OR, U.S.A.
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About this Item
Description:
192 x 157 mm. (7 5/8 x 6 1/4"). [10] leaves. Unbound, as issued; quires loosely stitched together. VD17 1:044651L; USTC 2710682. Leaves a bit browned (due to paper quality), slight vertical crease to final leaf, otherwise clean, fresh, and pleasing. Devoted to the irresistible subject of flying dragons, this is a rarely seen pamphlet by German polymath Georg Kaspar Kirchmayer, who wrote on a bewilderingly wide range of topics. Here, he cites descriptions of flying dragons from ancient sources, from Egypt and India, and from Athanasius Kircher's account of China, descriptions from which he concludes that there's no good reason flying dragons shouldn't exist. And who can argue with that? A professor of rhetoric at the University of Wittenberg, Kirchmayer (1635-1700) made frequent classical references in his works, which cover topics including mining, metallurgy, botany, history, physics, folklore, and mythology. This seems to be his only foray into the field of herpetology (airborne or otherwise). Given the ephemeral nature of this pamphlet, it is not surprising that it rarely appears in the marketplace: no copy seems to be recorded by RBH or ABSA. OCLC finds only one copy in North America. Seller Inventory # ST20099
Bibliographic Details
Title: DE DRACONIBUS VOLANTIBUS, AC INTERSPERSIS EX...
Publisher: Henckelius, Wittebergae [Wittenberg]
Publication Date: 1675