A NATURAL HISTORY OF IRELAND, IN THREE PARTS; Part I: Being a true and ample Description of its Situation, Greatness, Shape, and Nature : Of its Hills, Woods, Heaths, Bogs; of its fruitful Parts and profitable Grounds, with the several ways of Manuring and Improving the same; With its Heads and Promontories, Harbours, Roads and Bays; Of its Springs and Fountains, Brooks, Rivers, Loughs; Of its Metals, Minerals, Freestone, Marble, Sea-coal, Turf, and other Things that are taken out of the Ground. And lastly, of the Nature and Temperature of its Air and Season, and what Diseases it is free from, and subject unto. Conducing to the Advancement of Navigation, Husbandry, and other profitable Arts and Professions. Written by Gerard Boate, late Doctor of Physick to the State of Ireland. Part II: A Collection of such Papers as were communicated to the Royal Society, referring to some Curiosities in Ireland. Part III: A Discourse concerning the Danish Mounts, Forts and Towers in Ireland; never before published. By Thomas Malyneux, M.D. F.R.S. in England.
Dublin: Geo. and Alex. Ewing, 1755. Second edition thus. Hardcover. Small quarto. 8.75 in x 7 in., iv, [4], 214. Leather half-calf over marbled boards. Gilt title with seven gilt lines to spine. Title page of Part 2 dated 1726; title page of Part 3 dated 1725. 11 engraved plates, 7 foldout. Rubbing to extremities. Probably rebacked, hinges reinforced, with original spine laid down. Armorial bookplate (2.5" x 4") to front pastedown and below, printed name of James Pollock, Esq. Bookplate is glued atop old handwriting obscuring the name of the company from which the book was purchased. Owner's signature also in ink to top of title page. Light spotting to edges of first 4 leaves of preliminaries. Very Good Plus. Item #85387
A reissue of the 1726 edition with a new titlepage and preliminaries, and four additional leaves numbered 187-194 in square brackets inserted between pp. 186 and [187].
"A Natural History of Ireland" by Gerard Boate (1604-1650) was first published in 1652, and reissued in 1657. The second edition was edited and enlarged by Thomas Molyneaux (author of Part 3) in 1726, and reissued in 1755. This 1755 reissue consists of unsold sheets of the 1726 issue, and adds four leaves of preliminaries (these are the leaves with edge-spotting): title page (verso blank), dedication leaf, and two leaves of content. As well, the 1755 edition adds 8 pages of new content after p. 186.
Gerard Boate was Dutch by birth, English by residence, and aimed his contribution to "benefit the Adventurers and Planters" with information on Ireland's basic situation to that they might more fully realize the possiblilities. His brother Aaron, a noted scholar of Hebrew, provided much of the natural history information. Of the many "papers" in the second part, six were by Thomas Molyneux, a "Professor of Physick", and a physician to both the army and navy. He was the brother of noted philosopher William Molyneux. Molyneux's contribution displays his range of interests in Irish history and antiquaries. Articles range from those about bogs and agriculture to leprosy and pleurisy, and he nurtures the growing interest with the new sciences of medicine, geology, mining, and food preparation and preservation.
Price: $1,200.00