Meretseger Books

Oedipus Aegyptiacus, Hoc Est Universalis Hieroglyphicae Veterum Doctrinae temporum iniuria abolitae Instauratio. Opus ex omni Orientalium doctrina & sapientia conditum, nec non viginti diuersarum linguarum authoritate stabilitum, Felicibus Auspicijs Ferdinando III. Avstriaci Sapientissimi & Inuictissimi Romanorum Imperatoris ... consecratum.

KIRCHER Athanasius

Item #M5315

Extremely rare complete set of 3 volumes in the first edition. Vitalis Mascardi, Roma, 1652-1654. First edition. In-4. Modern full leather, retaining the pièces-de-titre of a former, 18th century binding. A magnificent set. Tome I (1652): First title page engraved by Bloemaert, 95 pages (Epîtres et Eloges à Ferdinand III] + 424 pages + [39 pages (index et tables)]. 2 large foldout plates : « aegypti descriptio chorographica antiqua », repaired tear on 21 cm and another tear of 6 cm with no loss ; plate « vera et genuina fontium nili topographia », repaired tear on 20,5 cm without loss. All plates and engravings are present. Browning and stains, principally until page 52, foxing mostly on the upper part of pages. Tome II (1653): 440 pages + [30 pages (index et tables)] + pars Altera 546 pages + [24 pages (index et tables)]. Two foldout plates « Explicatio in Cabala » and « Systema Sephiroticum ». All plates and engravings are present, including the magnificent wood engravings on the zodiacal systems. Paper loss on the upper part of the title page, without loss of text, repaired with silk paper. Browning on some pages. Tome III (1654): 590 pages + [35 pages (index et tables)], 10 large foldout plates : « Mensa Isiaca » ; Obeliscus ramessaeus sive lateranensis » ; « Obeliscum psammirtaeum » (repaired tear of 21 cm without loss) : « Obeliscum Sallustium » (repaired tear of 7,5 cm without loss) ; « Obeliscum olim veranum Barberinum » (2 repaired tears without loss of 5,3 cm) ; « Obeliscum constantinopolum » (2 repaired tears of 4 and 5,7 cm without loss) ; « Obeliscum mediceus & obeliscus mahutaeus » ; « Ichnographia cryptae mumiarum » ; « Tabula iconismorum qui varios mumiarum » ; « Iconismi canoporum aegyptiorum » (repaired tear of 6 cm without loss). All plates and engravings are present. Light damp on the edges of about half of the pages, rarely reaching the text. A NEAR-FINE FIRST EDITION OF KIRCHER'S LARGEST AND MOST ASTOUNDING WORK, the culmination of years of research in Egyptology' (Merrill). Volume I gives a general overview of Egypt's geography, the Nile and the Egyptian pantheon; it also discusses the religious practices of China, Japan, India, Mongolia and the Aztec culture. Volume II researches hieroglyphics, their origin and Kircher's method of interpretation. A large section is also dedicated to the Cabala and the significance of numbers, geometric shapes, music and astrology. In volume III Kircher concentrates on the relationships between hieroglyphs, Chinese characters and Aztec writings. Brunet III, 668 ('Ce savant ouvrage et le plus recherché, et l'un des plus rares de tous ceux du P. Kircher'); Graesse IV, 22; Sommervogel IV, 1052-56.13; Merrill 10; Caillet II, 5788 ('De tous les ouvrages du père Kircher celui-ci est le plus savant et le plus recherché'). Language: Latin. Relevant subjects: Egypt: Language, Texts & Writing.

Language: Latin.

Print, save as PDF, e-mail or share this listing.