Title: Le Grand Dispensaire ou Thrésor Général et Particulier des Préservatifs, 1609. An Extremely Rare Edition of Wecker’s Treatise on Alchemy, Chemistry, and Pharmacuticals, with Numerous Woodcuts
Author: Johann Jacob Wecker; Jan Du Val
Publisher: Geneve, par Estienne Gamonet
Condition: Very Good
An extremely scarce, early 17th century edition of Wecker’s Great Dispensary, or General and Particular Treasury of Preservatives, being a new edition, and translated into French by Jean Du Val, physician of Issoudun.
The General Treasury of Preservatives deals with the general principles of chemistry and alchemy; followed by The Particular Treasure of Preservatives with a second title page, which describes numerous pharmaceutical preparations: oils that beautify the face, potions to moisten the stomach, waters that warm the chest, cerates, perfumes, tablets, and much more. There is also a concluding section on how to separate and extract the forms of metals and minerals.
The General Treasury has been beautifully illustrated with quite a few woodcuts of various tools and implements for alchemical and in general, chemical concoctions. There is also a large woodcut to the penultimate leaf as well.
A Swiss physician and philosopher, Wecker wrote several works about medicine, some of which were in both French and Latin. After publishing his Secrets et Merveilles de Nature, Wecker moved to Basel, likely having fled accusations of sorcery, as the work touched on various forms of magic, alchemy, chemistry, astronomy and astrology, and other controversial subjects for the period.
USTC records 7 existing copies of this edition in libraries.
One vellum bound volume in quarto, (16)+ 286+(16)+1336 pages
This volume is in very good shape, with some wear and old staining to the binding, with leather loss to the lower corner. There is foxing and soiling throughout.