Goclenius | Physiologia crepitus ventris, Frankfurt, 1607, and other works, calf with the arms of de Thou

Goclenius, Rudolph, Angelo Lorenzini and Johann Winter

Three works on laughter and obstetrics in a binding for Jacques-Auguste de Thou, comprising:

Goclenius, Rudolph. Physiologia crepitus ventris, et risus, recognita explanata, et iterato edita. Frankfurt: Zacharias Palthenius, 1607, woodcut printer's device on title-page and beneath colophon, with final blank leaf

Lorenzini, Angelo. Dialogus... de risu, eiusque causis et consequentibus. Marburg: Paul Egenolf, 1606, woodcut device on title-page and below colophon, with final blank leaf

Winter, Johann. Gynaeciorum commentarius, de gravidarum, parturientium, puerperarum & infantium [edited by Johann Georg Schenck]. Strassburg: Lazarus Zetzner, 1606, woodcut device on title-page

3 works in one volume, 8vo (159 x 95mm.), contemporary tan calf gilt with the arms of Jacques-Auguste de Thou and his wife Gasparde de La Chastre on covers [Olivier 216 fer 8] and their IAG monogram [Olivier 216 fer 9] in spine compartments, occasional light browning, upper joint starting to split

The works by Goclenius and Lorenzini are about the phenomenon of laughter which was debated in quite a number of texts at this time, many of which were by medical writers, as here. Laughter and weeping are linked together as uncontrollable actions stemming from great emotion, and are unique to humankind.

Lorenzini is somewhat better known from Galileo's contempt for his astronomical work Discorso intorno alla stella nova (1605) than for his philosophy of laughter.

The work on obstetrics is by Johann Winter (or Guinter) of Andernach (1505-1574), professor of Greek in Louvain and then of medicine at the Sorbonne, and a respected translator of Galen.

LITERATURE:

VD17 23:270556Q, 23:296074T & 23:270944Q

PROVENANCE:

Jacques-Auguste de Thou (1553-1617) and his second wife Gasparde de La Chastre, arms on binding; Charles de Rohan, prince de Soubise (1715-1787, who inherited the bulk of the de Thou library), his shelfmark on inside front cover, 3.C.P.T.3.L.55, sale, Paris, 1788, lot 3520, bought by Le Clerc