Anyone fancy a Schotti at this?

[sigmapsidelta]

Let's give this a go....

P. GASPARIS SCHOTTI

Regiscuriani, E Socie-

tate Jesu,

Olim in Panormitano Siciliae, nunc in Herbipo-

litano Franconiae Gymnasio ejusdem Societatis Iesu

Matheseos Professoris

MAGIAE UNIVER-Salis Natvrae

et Artis,

PARSIII. & IV.

In IX Libros Di-

gesta,

Quibus pleraq; quae in Centrobaryca,

Mechanica, Statica, Hydrostatica, Hydrotechni-

ca, Aerotechnica, Arithmetica, & Geometria, sunt rara, curiosa,

ac prodigiosa, hoc est, vere magica, seutheoriumspectes, seu praxin, non

minus varie, quam methodice pertractantur, infinitarumq; inventionummathemati-

carumpenuarium aperitur; utmeritoappellariqueat hoc Opus,

Thavmatvrgvs Ma-

Thematicvs.

Sumptibus Haeredum Joannis Godefridi Schonwetter:

bibliopol Francofurtens,

HERBIPOLI

Excudebat Iobus Hertz Typographus herbipolensis

Anno M. DC. LVIII

Quite a title. Makes me wish Fine was here - he could probably give me this thing's life story.

This was handed to me. It has been rather extensively rebuilt. The first six leaves have had some professional work done to stabilize and repair them - the kind of thing I wouldn't know how to begin doing. If any further leaves have had similar attention its good enough that I can't pick it out. It currently lives in a vellum binding about 25 years old. It also has numerous pages of illustrations among the text.

I don't know Latin. I put some of it in ABE's search and it brought up two results - one in Italian. The other didn't help either as the title had differences, but not being a Latin reader I had no idea what those differences meant. I can guess at a few words in the title, but doing that just scares me - I'm sure it says 'magic', and it must be if they had aeronautics in 1658.

What is it? And has it lost anything by being professionally conserved? It must have been in a hell of a state before the conservation, and I can't imagine a totally disbound worth being higher than the value added by the work done on it.

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[rennybooks · Accepted solution]

Try searching Gaspar Schott in Abe search and you will find a copy listed.  There is also a decent Wiki write up on Schott for what it is worth.

It is often useful to find the author's non "latinized "  name and go from there.  I think you have a treasure.  If it were mine it would likely go in the personal collection.

[sigmapsidelta]

Thank you, Rennybooks. That was a Schott in the arm!

I know, and I'm very sorry (fake remorse). I'll try not to do it again (he said while thinking up other terrible puns).

The listing is another in Italian, but I recognized the numbers scattered about as I had recently collated the thing and could see they matched in most cases - this copy appears to have a couple of blank end-papers more than the ABE-listed one.

But that is the very chap.

I can't make out anything about the condition of that item - the only Italian I understand is the hugely important stuff: Ferrari, De Tomaso, Lamborghini, Laverda, etc. I did guess that 'pergamena' was vellum. But that's it. From the picture it does have about the same level of toning to the paper. I'm just hoping that 'esemplare' doesn't mean exemplary as that would foreshadow the value of this one plummeting into some unfortunate abyss.

.

[argon38]

I only just noticed this thread. I'm not sure if you still need a translation, but here's one if it helps:

Fr. Gaspar Schott, a native of Bad Königshofen, of the Society of Jesus;
Professor of Mathematics, formerly at Palermo in Sicily, now at the school of the same Society of Jesus in Franconian Würzburg.

THE UNIVERSAL MAGIC OF NATURE AND ART
PARTS III & IV
ARRANGED IN NINE BOOKS

In which all those things which in Barycentrics, Mechanics, Statics, Hydrostatics, Hydrotechnics, Aeronautics, Arithmetic & Geometry, are rare, curious, and prodigious - that is to say, truly magical - are treated (whether as to  theory or as to practice) in a manner as diverse as it is methodical, and in which the infinite storehouse of mathematical inventions is opened,

such that this work could rightly be called the

MATHEMATICAL WONDER-WORKER.

With copper engravings, & by the privilege of his Sacred and Imperial Majesty.

Published at Würzburg, by the successors of Johann Gottfried Schönwetter, bookseller of Frankfurt.
Printed by Jacob Hertz, Printer at Würzburg.

1658

[argon38]

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@sigmapsidelta wrote:

I'm just hoping that 'esemplare' doesn't mean exemplary as that would foreshadow the value of this one plummeting into some unfortunate abyss.

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"Esemplare" in that Italian description just means "example"/"copy".

[argon38]

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@argon38 wrote:

Published at Würzburg, by the successors of Johann Gottfried Schönwetter, bookseller of Frankfurt.

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Make that "heirs," rather than "successors."

[sigmapsidelta]

Thanks, Argon. That's great. I'll copy that and keep it.

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