Opera Philosophica (Principia Philosophiae; Specimina Philosophiae; Passiones Animae)
by Descartes, René
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller
-
New York, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Amsterdam: Ludovicum & Danielem Elzevirios, 1656 Third edition. Contemporary brown calf with sides ruled in blind, four raised bands to spine, and red leather label lettered in gilt to spine. Very good, with light wear and chipping to calf on joints and edges, rebacked, 19th century inscriptions to front fly leaf and half-title page, biographical clippings affixed to front endpapers, light dampstaining to page margins, some tears to lower margins of introductory pages, some pencil annotations to "Methode" section of Specimina Philosophiae (pp. 1-48), and library card pocket to rear pastedown. Overall, a sturdy and attractive copy. Opera Philosophica contains some of the French philosopher René Descartes' most influential works. Specimina Philosophiae includes three Descartes essays published in 1637 - "Methode," "La Dioptrique," and "Meteores." In "Methode," Descartes outlines his skepticism-based method for understanding the natural world. His approach laid the foundation for the modern scientific method. Also, from this work comes Descartes' most famous quote "I think, therefore I am." In 1644, Descartes published Principia Philosophiae, a philosophical guidebook that expands on his methods, and heavily influenced Isaac Newton in his development of Principia (1687). In Passiones Animae (1649), Descartes' final book, he explores the relationship between what he deems to be the six primary passions, or emotions - wonder, love, hatred, desire, joy, sadness. Notably, this copy does not contain Meditationes de Prima Philosophia, possibly because of its atheistic concepts. This copy contains an interesting inscription to the verso of the rear flyleaf - "This book came out of the / library of the Rev'd - Watson / who murdered his wife. 1871." Reverend John Selby Watson (1804-1884) was a grammar school headmaster and classics scholar who, in 1871, killed his wife. A high-profile court case followed, which resulted in Watson's sentence being commuted due to a plea of insanity. Five-time Booker Prize nominee Beryl Bainbridge based her novel Watson's Apology (1984) on the infamous crime. . Hard Cover. Very Good.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- B & B Rare Books, Ltd., ABAA (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- RDC003
- Title
- Opera Philosophica (Principia Philosophiae; Specimina Philosophiae; Passiones Animae)
- Author
- Descartes, René
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Publisher
- Amsterdam: Ludovicum & Danielem Elzevirios
- Date Published
- 1656
- Bookseller catalogs
- Early Printed Books; Science; French Literature;
Terms of Sale
B & B Rare Books, Ltd., ABAA
~ All items are guaranteed as described. We recommend requesting pictures prior to purchasing. ~ Any items may be returned within seven days of receipt and in the same condition as originally sent. ~ We ship with FedEx, UPS and USPS. Please let us know if you prefer another shipping. ~ New York State are required to add 8.875% sales tax.
About the Seller
B & B Rare Books, Ltd., ABAA
Biblio member since 2006
New York, New York
About B & B Rare Books, Ltd., ABAA
Selling First Editions and Rare Books from all centuries. Specializing in 19th and 20th century literature, modern first editions, signed and inscribed books, early children's literature, and poetry.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Calf
- Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Verso
- The page bound on the left side of a book, opposite to the recto page.
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Raised Band(s)
- Raised bands refer to the ridges that protrude slightly from the spine on leather bound books. The bands are created in the...
- Rebacked
- having had the material covering the spine replaced. ...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Chipping
- A defect in which small pieces are missing from the edges; fraying or small pieces of paper missing the edge of a paperback, or...