1746 First English Edition "History of Stones" by Theophrastus

Item Details

A rare 1746 first edition of the first English translation of Theophrastus’ History of Stones, which was also the first published work by English botanist and political writer John Hill. The book is quarter bound in brown calf over hand-marbled boards. This is a bilingual edition, with Greek on the left side and English on the right, and extensive commentary by Hill in the footnotes.

Theophrastus (fl. 4th-early 3rd century B.C.) was the successor of Aristotle at the Lyceum and himself a significant scientist and philosopher. He is most famous as the Father of Botany, authoring the world’s first two major works on the subject, The History of Plants and The Causes of Plants. His Characters created its own literary genre and would be imitated in succeeding ages. His treatise On Stones is among the earliest surviving sources for information on how the ancients tested and identified gemstones.

Dr. John Hill (1716-1775) was a botanist and public commentator on a range of subjects besides. He made a number of prominent enemies, including Henry Fielding and Christopher Smart. His biographer, George Rousseau, has written that Hill ‘was one of Georgian England’s most vilified men despite having contributed prolifically to its medicine, science and literature,’ and that Hill was ‘above all a provocateur.’

Condition

- The book’s two boards remain attached to the spine.
- However, the front hinge is quite worn and torn at the headcap, while the back hinge remains sown together despite the leather being cracked open the whole length of the hinge.
- Some minor wear to the corners.
- The first two pages are loose. The pages are otherwise in good condition.

Dimensions

Item #

15CIN457-012