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LIEBIG, Justus von (1803-1873). Die organische Chemie in ihrer Anwending auf Agricultur und Physiologie. Braunschweig: Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn, 1840.
First Edition in German and first separate edition of 'one of the most important books in the history of scientific agriculture' (DSB). An exceptionally versatile chemist, Liebig's lasting contributions to organic chemistry lay as much in his development of a methodology and in the standards that he set for reliability and thoroughness of analyses as in his many individual discoveries. In this work, Liebig challenged the then current belief that plant growth was dependent almost exclusively on the organic products of decayed matter. From exhaustive analyses of the chemical composition of plants and extensive reading in the literature on the subject he concluded that the nutrient substances of plants are derived exclusively from the atmosphere and the mineral content of the soil. Although this extreme view was later proven incorrect, Liebig's insistence on the need to manufacture artificial fertilizers to improve productivity of agricultural land was of vital importance for the development of European agriculture. His book 'completely changed the nature of the problem of scientific agriculture. Before 1840 it was generally believed that both plant and animal life were dependent on the circulation of an organic, previously living material. Now...[it was] agreed that the nutrient substances of plants were inorganic. That change...transformed the objectives of agriculture, for...in the new view an unbounded increase in organic life seemed possible' (DSB). Liebig's book, which had first appeared in a French translation four months earlier as the first volume of a Trait de chimie organique, aroused enormous interest throughout Europe and America – 17 editions in various languages appeared within the decade. PMM 310a; Norman 1350.
Octavo (225 x 142 mm). Half-title, errata leaf at end, 11 leaves publisher's prospectuses at end (scattered spotting, heavy to ads at end, these latter with tiny marginal wormhole). Original printed yellow wrappers, uncut, a few quires partly unopened (backstrip defective and repaired, covers strengthened, minor soiling to covers), modern cloth box. Provenance: Michael Sharpe (gilt leather label on inside of box).
First Edition in German and first separate edition of 'one of the most important books in the history of scientific agriculture' (DSB). An exceptionally versatile chemist, Liebig's lasting contributions to organic chemistry lay as much in his development of a methodology and in the standards that he set for reliability and thoroughness of analyses as in his many individual discoveries. In this work, Liebig challenged the then current belief that plant growth was dependent almost exclusively on the organic products of decayed matter. From exhaustive analyses of the chemical composition of plants and extensive reading in the literature on the subject he concluded that the nutrient substances of plants are derived exclusively from the atmosphere and the mineral content of the soil. Although this extreme view was later proven incorrect, Liebig's insistence on the need to manufacture artificial fertilizers to improve productivity of agricultural land was of vital importance for the development of European agriculture. His book 'completely changed the nature of the problem of scientific agriculture. Before 1840 it was generally believed that both plant and animal life were dependent on the circulation of an organic, previously living material. Now...[it was] agreed that the nutrient substances of plants were inorganic. That change...transformed the objectives of agriculture, for...in the new view an unbounded increase in organic life seemed possible' (DSB). Liebig's book, which had first appeared in a French translation four months earlier as the first volume of a Trait de chimie organique, aroused enormous interest throughout Europe and America – 17 editions in various languages appeared within the decade. PMM 310a; Norman 1350.
Octavo (225 x 142 mm). Half-title, errata leaf at end, 11 leaves publisher's prospectuses at end (scattered spotting, heavy to ads at end, these latter with tiny marginal wormhole). Original printed yellow wrappers, uncut, a few quires partly unopened (backstrip defective and repaired, covers strengthened, minor soiling to covers), modern cloth box. Provenance: Michael Sharpe (gilt leather label on inside of box).
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