Pseudodoxia epidemica...

London: Edward Dod, 1646. FIRST EDITION. Contemporary calf, rebacked, corners renewed. Imprimatur leaf repaired on fore-edge, occasional foxing and browning. Presented to the library of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia by Edward Wilson, with the Academy's bookplate on the front paste-down. First edition. In this work the author questions the many long held prejudices and misconceptions which hampered scientific growth. Browne's (1605-82) "vulgar errors," as it was amusingly referred to, is divided into seven books which contain his numerous observations and experiments in physics, comparative anatomy and biology. The work has become a literary classic and includes the first appearance in English of the term "electricity" (pages 51 and 79).