Somniorum synesiorum, omnis generis insomnia explicantes, libri iiii ... (bound with) Mediolanensis medici et philosophi opera quaedam lectu digna ..

Basil: Sebastian Henricpetri, 1585. SECOND EDITION. Woodcut historiated initials. Contemporary calf, covers ruled in gilt, spine label; front joint cracked but holding, paper generally toned, but overall a very good copy. Second edition of Cardano’s important work on dreams, followed by a collection of earlier works by Cardano, gathered here for the first time. He explains to the reader how dreams are caused, how to interpret them by classification, and goes on to describe over fifty of his own dreams.

“Cardano is unusual among Renaissance writers on dreams, in that he both records a good many of his own dreams, displaying keen interest in them, and has a highly developed theory about the causation of dreams and the method of interpreting them.” He also includes a general discussion on sleep, insomnia, and supernatural dreams, all supported by examples. The second part contains his autobiography, first published in 1544, as well as medical, philosophical and mathematical writings, including an interesting treatise on gemstones and colors.

Cardano (1501-1576), Italian mathematician, adventurer, scientist, and the most famous physician in Europe, was a prodigious writer, detailing his experiments with magnets, the occult virtues of gems, the astrological significance of comets, electrification by friction, pumps, syphons, the water screw of Archimedes, and machinery for raising sunken vessels. He was arrested by the Inquisition in 1570 after an accusation of heresy by the Inquisitor of Como, who targeted Cardano’s De rerum varietate (1557). The inquisitors complained about Cardano's writings on astrology, especially his claim that self-harming religiously motivated actions of martyrs and heretics were caused by the stars. In his 1543 book De supplemento almanach, a commentary on the astrological work Tetrabiblos by Ptolemy, Cardano had also published a horoscope of Jesus. All of his non-medical works (including this one) were prohibited and placed on the Index.

Adams C 693; BM STC, German Books, p. 182; Durling 832; Wellcome I, 1306.