GLASER, Traité de la Chymie, 1663

GLASER, Christophle.

Traité de la Chymie.

Paris, chez l'autheur, 1663.

Small 8vo (168x103 mm), Frontispiece-(16)-378 pages and 2 folding plates (privilege is missing). binding : Contemporary full brown calf, spine gilt in six compartments. Binding rubbed, joint with old and poor repairs. First blank restored. Foxings.

The rare first edition, first issue.
Christophe Glaser (1629-1672?) Is a Swiss doctor and pharmacist who became ordinary apothecary of King Louis XIV. Nicolas Lemery will be trained at Glaser but quickly leaves him not supporting his almost esoteric teaching.
Glaser crosses the history in the poison case. It is most probably in her pharmacy that the Marquise de Brinvilliers obtained the vials of poison. According to his testimony Glaser was sent to Italy by Fouquet to learn the secrets of Italian poisons.
Caillet attributes this book to Moyse Charas, who indeed mentions in the preface to his Thériaque that he published a Treatise on Chemistry under the name of Glaser.

We find in this book, curious preparations such as human skull oil or the distillation of viper flesh.

references: Neville [I, p. 528 : "First edition, first issue (with the 'petit marché' imprint' . One of the most important chemical textbooks of the seventeenth century"],
Duveen [251] Dorbon [1873] Caillet [II, p.167 et I, 2201].

provenance: Bookplates from Dr Autheuil and Orlop.

Price : 1200 €

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