This is an extraordinary "working copy," transformed by an early owner into a unique household-chymical notebook.
While Digby’s text was a bestseller of 17th-century alchemy, this volume documents the actual practice of its theories. Bound at the rear are approximately 16 pages of dense contemporary manuscript additions (8 leaves plus endpapers). Written in fluent German Kurrentschrift intermixed with Latin and alchemical symbols, these are not mere marginal jottings but complete, complex recipes that evidence a sophisticated Paracelsian engagement.
The Manuscript "Book of Secrets" Includes:
The "Mercury of the Microcosm": A textbook Paracelsian operation found on the rear flyleaves. The writer details the putrefaction and distillation of human urine (the "microcosmic fluid") to extract volatile salts, explicitly identified here as a "Secret Arcanum" for pain.
"Laudanum Minerale": A detailed recipe for a mineral-based sedative. Distinct from the opium tinctures of later centuries, this formula follows the spagyric tradition of compounding sulfur and sugar (Sachari Candi) to treat fevers, cited by the scribe as a "Great Secret" (großes Secretum).
Noble-Attributed Remedies: The notes include a "Green Salve" attributed to the "Old Countess of Mansfeld" (of the famous Saxon mining dynasty) and a cosmetic "Water of Youth" promised to make an old man appear fifteen. These entries reflect the specific Baroque Hausväter tradition of bolstering the authority of household recipes by attaching them to prominent nobility.
Materia Medica: Recipes utilize ingredients characteristic of the high-end apothecary trade, including Mumia (mummy powder), Dragon's Blood, Oriental Saffron, and Alicante Wine. Several recipes are marked Probatum est ("It is proven"), indicating active testing in the laboratory.
The volume boasts a distinguished pedigree:
Maria-Magdalenen-Gymnasium, Breslau: Title verso bears the stamp "Ex Bibl. ad aed. Mar. Magdal.", indicating the volume was held in the historic library of the St. Mary Magdalene School in Breslau (Wrocław), one of Silesia's most significant gymnasium libraries.
Otto Fritz Böhme: The rear pastedown bears the bookplate of this renowned 20th-century German collector of alchemical literature (Slg. Böhme No. 769).
"H.J." (1903): A front flyleaf note dated 1903 includes metric conversions (e.g., "1 Unze = 30 Gram"), evidencing the book's continued use as a study text into the modern era.
Sir Kenelm Digby was one of the most colorful figures of the 17th century; privateer, diplomat, founding member of the Royal Society, and a "virtuoso" deeply enmeshed in alchemical circles. This work, published posthumously by his assistant George Hartman, bridges the gap between practical metallurgy and Hermetic philosophy. It is best known for containing the description of the "Powder of Sympathy" (p. 255), Digby's infamous vitriolic powder claimed to heal wounds at a distance.
Summary: A substantial 18th-century manuscript recipe collection hidden within a rare printed alchemical treatise. An ideal acquisition for collectors of practical alchemy, Paracelsian medicine, or manuscript "Books of Secrets."
DIGBY, Kenelm (1603–1665). Außerlesene, seltzame Philosophische Geheimnüsse und Chymische Experimente... [Choice, Strange Philosophical Secrets and Chymical Experiments...] Hamburg: Gottfried Schultze, 1684. First German Edition. Octavo (17 x 10 cm). [8], 269, [11] pp. Complete with the engraved portrait frontispiece of Digby and 4 copperplates. Bound in contemporary vellum with handwritten title on spine ("K. Digby ... Chym. Geheim."). References: VD 17 39:115965L; Brüning 2558; Ferguson I, 212; Duveen 173; Krivatsy 3238.
Condition: Contemporary vellum binding is well-preserved with typical age-toning. Several small wormholes. Pencil marginalia from working alchemist throughout. The text block shows light browning and occasional finger-soiling consistent with its history as a working manual. The front inner hinge is starting but remains firm. All plates are present.
This is an extraordinary "working copy," transformed by an early owner into a unique household-chymical notebook.
While Digby’s text was a bestseller of 17th-century alchemy, this volume documents the actual practice of its theories. Bound at the rear are approximately 16 pages of dense contemporary manuscript additions (8 leaves plus endpapers). Written in fluent German Kurrentschrift intermixed with Latin and alchemical symbols, these are not mere marginal jottings but complete, complex recipes that evidence a sophisticated Paracelsian engagement.
The Manuscript "Book of Secrets" Includes:
The "Mercury of the Microcosm": A textbook Paracelsian operation found on the rear flyleaves. The writer details the putrefaction and distillation of human urine (the "microcosmic fluid") to extract volatile salts, explicitly identified here as a "Secret Arcanum" for pain.
"Laudanum Minerale": A detailed recipe for a mineral-based sedative. Distinct from the opium tinctures of later centuries, this formula follows the spagyric tradition of compounding sulfur and sugar (Sachari Candi) to treat fevers, cited by the scribe as a "Great Secret" (großes Secretum).
Noble-Attributed Remedies: The notes include a "Green Salve" attributed to the "Old Countess of Mansfeld" (of the famous Saxon mining dynasty) and a cosmetic "Water of Youth" promised to make an old man appear fifteen. These entries reflect the specific Baroque Hausväter tradition of bolstering the authority of household recipes by attaching them to prominent nobility.
Materia Medica: Recipes utilize ingredients characteristic of the high-end apothecary trade, including Mumia (mummy powder), Dragon's Blood, Oriental Saffron, and Alicante Wine. Several recipes are marked Probatum est ("It is proven"), indicating active testing in the laboratory.
The volume boasts a distinguished pedigree:
Maria-Magdalenen-Gymnasium, Breslau: Title verso bears the stamp "Ex Bibl. ad aed. Mar. Magdal.", indicating the volume was held in the historic library of the St. Mary Magdalene School in Breslau (Wrocław), one of Silesia's most significant gymnasium libraries.
Otto Fritz Böhme: The rear pastedown bears the bookplate of this renowned 20th-century German collector of alchemical literature (Slg. Böhme No. 769).
"H.J." (1903): A front flyleaf note dated 1903 includes metric conversions (e.g., "1 Unze = 30 Gram"), evidencing the book's continued use as a study text into the modern era.
Sir Kenelm Digby was one of the most colorful figures of the 17th century; privateer, diplomat, founding member of the Royal Society, and a "virtuoso" deeply enmeshed in alchemical circles. This work, published posthumously by his assistant George Hartman, bridges the gap between practical metallurgy and Hermetic philosophy. It is best known for containing the description of the "Powder of Sympathy" (p. 255), Digby's infamous vitriolic powder claimed to heal wounds at a distance.
Summary: A substantial 18th-century manuscript recipe collection hidden within a rare printed alchemical treatise. An ideal acquisition for collectors of practical alchemy, Paracelsian medicine, or manuscript "Books of Secrets."
DIGBY, Kenelm (1603–1665). Außerlesene, seltzame Philosophische Geheimnüsse und Chymische Experimente... [Choice, Strange Philosophical Secrets and Chymical Experiments...] Hamburg: Gottfried Schultze, 1684. First German Edition. Octavo (17 x 10 cm). [8], 269, [11] pp. Complete with the engraved portrait frontispiece of Digby and 4 copperplates. Bound in contemporary vellum with handwritten title on spine ("K. Digby ... Chym. Geheim."). References: VD 17 39:115965L; Brüning 2558; Ferguson I, 212; Duveen 173; Krivatsy 3238.
Condition: Contemporary vellum binding is well-preserved with typical age-toning. Several small wormholes. Pencil marginalia from working alchemist throughout. The text block shows light browning and occasional finger-soiling consistent with its history as a working manual. The front inner hinge is starting but remains firm. All plates are present.
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