Thaumaturgus mathematicus, ed est, admirabilium effectorum e mathematicarum disciplinarum

Cologne: Konstantin Munich, 1636. First edition in Latin. Pale dampstaining, some light worming occasionally costing a few letters, light browning. 12mo (5 7/8 x 3 1/4 inches). [12], 291, [12], [1, blank] pages. Approximately 60 woodcuts and diagrams in-text. Modern grey boards. "Besides strictly mathematical problems, there are such marvels as to make a door open from both sides; to construct a vessel which will retain the liquid poured into it up to a certain height, when the entire contents will flow out, to keep all the water in the world in the air without a single drop falling to earth. There are various experiments with mirrors, clocks, artillery, fountains and hydraulic machines ... In 1636 it appeared in Latin translation, with considerable additions and variations, by Caspar Ens ... it is believed to be the first book to use the word 'thermometer'" (Thorndike, p. 593-4). There are numerous references to magnetism. The German mathematician Gaspar Ens translated and adapted Jean Leurechon's Recréation mathematique (1624) for this work. The present book is very scarce in commerce; even the second edition of 1651 rarely appears on the market. Not in Poggendorff, Cantor, Brunet. (Inventory #: 410598)