Icones anatomicae. Ediderunt Academia Medicinae Nova-Eboracensis et Bibliotheca Universitatis Monacensis

Munich: The Bremer Press for the New York Academy of Medicine and the University of Munich Library, 1934. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Fine. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Large Folio. 1934 [i.e., 1935]. Large Folio (548 x 385 mm). Two woodcut title-pages by Jos. Lehnacker, leaf with woodcut portrait of the author, 82 plate leaves with a total of 286 woodcut illustrations, 10 heliotype plates (of which 2 mounted as fold-outs), 8 leaves of index, 5 blank leaves, 15 half-title or title leaves, 2 text leaves. Original publisher's half pigskin over cloth, upper cover lettered (minor rubbing of spine), inner hinges and some leaves reinforced (by original binder) at gutter. All pages uncut. No. 598 (of 615) numbered copies of the Munich variant (total print run 725 copies), without (as called for) explanational text that was only added to those 615 copies made for the American market. A fine copy, collated complete. ----

Cushing VI.A.-16 (American ed.); Norman 2145 (American ed.); Lehnacker 39. Schauer II, 71. - Printed from 227 of the original woodblocks used for Vesalius's De humani corporis fabrica and his Epitome which were tragically destroyed during World War II. The impressions in this modern fine press edition are darker and clearer than the original 1543 and 1555 editions of the Fabrica. "When in 1932 Dr. S. W. Lambert of New York became interested in making a study of the capital initials, it was suggested by the late Leonard L. Mackall that a renewed search might be made for the wood-blocks in the Munich Library. Though these initial blocks were not found, the search unexpectedly disclosed the full-page blocks engraved for the Epitome which, because of their large size, had been separately stored. At the request of the New York Academy of Medicine, permission was given by the Munich authorities to have prints struck off from all of the original blocks that had so far come to light for the purposes of an Atlas to be issued by Dr. Willy Wiegand at the celebrated Bremer Presse at Munich. This de luxe publication, printed on paper 'specially made from the best hempen fibres,' possibly serves to overemphasize the part played by Jan Stephan van Calcar and to minimize that of Vesalius, though to be sure the colophon on this occasion, were there one, should have read 'sumptibus Academics Medicince Nova'Eboracensis' rather than 'sumptibus Stephani Calcarensis.' From the estimated 277 original wood-blocks, only 50 were missing, including the portrait which has been reproduced in facsimile. For ease of comparison, the two frontispieces from the 1543 and 1555 editions are printed enface, the wood-block for the latter having been loaned for the purpose by the Louvain Library." (Cushing, A bio-bibliography of Andreas Vesalius, p.107). - Visit our website to see more images!