(United States) in 1908. It is a sumptuously produced work in
two large octavo volumes, copiously illustrated. Professor de Morgan's
'Arithmetical Books from the Invention of Printing to the Present Time'
contains brief notices of a large number of works 'drawn up from actual
inspection.' It was published--a thin octavo of 124 pages--in 1847, and
the books are arranged chronologically; but there is an index of authors.

[Sidenote: Medical.]

37. The collection of early medical books is a hobby that must appeal
chiefly to the chirurgeon. Its sub-headings are not numerous, and each
comprises volumes of considerable bibliographical interest. There are
curious books on 'poysons' as well as upon the commoner branches of
surgery, and there are glorious editions of all the ancient AEsculapians,
such as Hippocrates, Dioscorides, Galen, and Avicenna. Herbals are
doubtless collected by many who are not possessed of medical knowledge,
and a number of them treat more of simples and housewifery than
leechcraft, which is probably one reason of their attraction for the
non-medical collector. But as these volumes in general are so
inextricably bound up with the science of healing, I have thought fit to
include them here. There is no denying that the fascination of these
curious volumes, often (as in Fuch's magnificent tome) containing
woodcuts that are a sheer delight to the bibliographer no less than to
the botanist, is a strong one.

It is a moot point whether works on Early Chemistry or Alchemy should be
included here or under the heading 'Occult,' seeing that they usually
centre about the Elixir of Life and the Philosopher's Stone. Perhaps they
would be classed more accurately with Early Scientific. But for the
purposes of our list I have reserved that heading for those books which
treat of mathematics and physics only. With the early works upon
astrology we need not concern ourselves here: they have more to do with
divination and horoscopes than the craft of healing, so their appeal is
chiefly to the student of the occult. It is impossible, however, to
classify under one heading all those early works which treat of the
beginnings of scientific knowledge. The star-gazer, the herbalist, the
necromancer, and the leech, must be content to share among themselves a
class of books which deals generally with the search into the Great
Unknown.

A useful catalogue of books on Alchemy was printed in two large quarto
volumes at Glasgow i