Details

HUNTER, William (1718-83). Anatomia uteri humani gravidi ... The Anatomy of the Human Gravid Uterus exhibited in Figures, Birmingham: John Baskerville, 1774. 2° (658 x 476mm). Frontispiece portrait of John Haighton by J. Kennerly after H. Ashby, 34 engraved plates after Jan van Rymsdyk (fl. 18th century), Edward Edwards (1738-1806), Alexander Cozens (d. 1786) and Blakey, text printed in double columns in Latin and English. (Some light spotting, stronger towards the end, mainly marginal thumb-soiling, outer margin of plate 3 slightly cropped, new tissue guards.) Modern cloth. Provenance: Faculty of Physicians & Surgeons [of Glasgow] (bookplate).

FIRST EDITION OF "ONE OF THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS IN MEDICINE". "'It is indeed a remarkable book, not the least important aspect of which is the large size of the plates ... For him [Hunter], the technical quality of the plates was of great importance; they combine descriptive clarity with beauty' (Jordanova, p. 386). The Gravid Uterus was the largest book printed by John Baskerville, and one of two medical books issued from his press; it is also among the very few medical books issued from a private press" (Norman). Blake p. 226; Garrison & Morton 6157: "one of the finest anatomical atlases ever to be produced"; Gaskell 56; Norman 1125; Waller 5004; Wellcome III, p. 319.

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