Books and Manuscripts

[Hoover, Herbert, and Lou Henry Hoover] Agricola, Georgius
De Re Metallica
London: The Mining Magazine, 1912. First edition in English (one of about 1,500 copies printed). Folio. (iv), xxxi, (i), 640 pp. Presentation copy, inscribed by Herbert Hoover on front free endpaper: “To Robert Cross / With the / Good Wishes / of / Herbert Hoover”. Translated into English from the first Latin edition of 1556 by Hoover and his wife, Lou Henry Hoover. Illustrated with numerous full page and in-text illustrations reproducing the original 1556 woodcuts. Publisher's full vellum over boards, stamped in black, bottom front corner bumped; text completely unopened.

Presentation copy of the first edition in English of Agricola's authoritative work on mining and metallurgy, inscribed by future president Herbert Hoover. What set out to be a simple translation into English by the Hoovers--the first in the 356 years since the book was first published--turned out to be a much more difficult task, as many of the mining techniques described by Agricola used invented Latin terms not found in traditional Latin vocabulary. Without a guide to Agricola's references, the Hoovers had to steep themselves in the long history of metallurgical and mining texts that may have informed Agricola. As a result, the product of their effort is prized for its clarity, accuracy, and inclusion of copious footnotes and appendices. 

Although this first edition was originally intended for a print run of 3,000 copies, it is suggested that only about half were ever printed.

A near-fine copy.