KIRCHER, Athanasius. Mundus Subterraneus, in XII Libros digestus. Amsterdam: J. Jansson and E. Weyerstraten, 1665. 2 engraved titles, engraved portrait of Pope Alexander VII, 21 engraved plates and maps including 8 folding and 4 double-page, (lacking engraved portrait of the author). 7 inserted double-page or folding letterpress tables, and numerous engraved and woodcut illustrations in text, 2 with volvelles (a few margins with very minor faint dampstaining, one plate with a clean tear). 2 vols. in one. 2o. Contemporary vellum, yapp edges. FIRST EDITION of Kircher's influential encyclopaedic survey of the subterranean or "hidden" world. Incorporating his experiences of the eruption of Vesuvius in 1637 and the two weeks of earthquakes that shook Calabria in 1638, Kircher's Mundus Subterraneus marks the first serious effort to describe the physical makeup of the earth, proposing theories (sometimes fantastic) in the areas of physics, geography, geology and chemistry. He suggests the existence of a vast network of underground springs and reservoirs, as well as the theory that subterranean temperatures increase directly in proportion to depth. The world map (plate XX) was the first to show ocean currents with any degree of accuracy. A very clean, tall copy. Caillet 5783; Ferguson I, p. 467; Graesse IV:21; Nissen ZBI 2196; Norman 1218; Sabin 37967, Shirley 436. Sold not subject to return.