L'EXAMEN DES ESPRITS POUR LES SCIENCES . . . AUGMENTÉ DE PLUSIEURS ADDITIONS NOUVELLES PAR L'AUTEUR SELON LA DERNIERE IMPRESSION D'ESPAGNE

Amsterdam: [Printed by Daniel Elzevier for] Jean de Ravestein [Johannes van Ravesteyn], 1672. 133 x 79 mm. (5 1/4 x 3"). 32 p.l., 629 pp.Translated from the Spanish by François Savinien d'Alquié.
Excellent 19th century brown morocco "Cathedral" binding, covers with blind-stamp of gothic design, raised bands, gilt lettering, gilt-rolled turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. With engraved allegorical title page by Romeyn de Hooghe, Ravesteyn's Elijah device (Rahir M. 46) on title page, Elzevier floral tailpieces (Rahir 91 and 94) at end of preface and on last page of text. Front pastedown with evidence of bookplate removal. Garrison-Morton 4964 (first edition); Krivatsy 6097; Rahir 1572; STC Netherlands 863948316; USTC 1809027. ◆Spine and head edge of rear board sunned to honey brown, extremities lightly rubbed, isolated faint foxing, but a very nearly fine copy, quite clean and fresh internally, in a binding showing very few signs of use.

Printed by the esteemed Elzevier firm for a major Dutch bookseller, this is a 17th century French translation of a work described by Garrison-Morton as "the first attempt to show the connection between psychology and physiology." Translated as "The Examination of Men's Wits" in English, it was first printed as "Examen de Ingenios para las Ciencias" in Baeza, in 1575. A physician who had distinguished himself by his heroism during the plague at Baeza in 1566, Huarte (1529-88) explains here that by analyzing hereditary skills, strengths, humors, and other factors such as diet, climate, conjunction of the stars, education, and so on, one could determine the profession or trade to which a person is best suited. Much ahead of his time, Huarte, as a logical extension of his analysis, recommended a rudimentary form of aptitude testing and career counseling for the schools. When examining the various ways the four bodily humors are mixed, the author theorized, contrary to modern expectations, that "well balanced" individuals will necessarily be mediocre, and only an imbalance or "distemper" of some sort can make a man exceptional. Although the Inquisition did not at first object to the work, professors at Baeza, feeling that their disciplines were being mocked by Huarte's thesis, succeeded in petitioning inquisitors to have the book prohibited. But by that time, the work had already appeared in multiple Spanish and French editions, and quickly thereafter appeared in Italian, Latin, English, Dutch, and German. Although our volume does not bear the family name, it was one of those produced by the Elzeviers for Amsterdam bookseller Johannes van Ravesteyn. Although Willems thought it might have been produced by Elzevier imitator Jacob de Jonge, Rahir determined the Elzevier provenance by identifying the tailpieces, ornamental letters, and the Ravesteyn device, showing Elijah being fed by ravens. Our binding, like the text, is French, done in the "Cathedral" style popular in the first quarter of the 19th century..