Incrementa Botanices, proxime praeterlapsi semiseculi, quae cum consensu experient. Facult. Med. Upsal. Sub praesidio viri nobilissimi atque experientissimi domini doctoris Caroli Linnaei ....publicae censurae submittit Jacobus Briuur Westmannus, in auditorio Carol. Majori. by (LINNAEUS) BIUUR, JACOBUS, DD - 1753

Stockholm [Holmia] Laurent. Ludo. Grefing. 1753, 1753. First edition. pp.[4], 20. Woodcut headpiece, initial, tailpiece. Some light browning, old ms. ink number '12' to corner of title-page. Disbound. In grey card folder. This short dissertation bears the name of Jacob Biuur but behind this attribution lies Biuur's professor, the eminent taxonomist Carl Linnaeus (1707-78). It was common practice at Swedish universities at this time for students to defend in public debate and pay for the printing of a dissertation for whose contents their professor was actually responsible. This should therefore be considered a supplement by Linnaeus himself to his Bibliotheca botanica of 1736 (reprinted 1751). In it, he updates his bibliography of botanical works, paying special attention to the 'Epoch of the Reformers' from 1735 onwards - that is, to works written after his Bibliotheca botanica. The last four pages include an interesting digression by Linnaeus on the effect of copper engraving on the price of books; in his view, the increase in precision which these provide is more than offset by the extra cost, which prevents poorer students from being able to afford them and leads the subject as a whole to 'luxury and ruin'. All the dissertations produced by Linnaeus were reprinted in the Amoenitates academicae (1762).