rare-galileo-text-up-for-auction

This year marks 400 years since Galileo’s first demonstration of the telescope. It was a time when the idea that the Earth revolved around the Sun was considered a dangerous notion. Galileo’s first glimpses of the planets changed our world forever.

PBA Galleries of San Francisco is auctioning off a first edition, second issue, of the book in which the first English translation of Galileo’s “famous dialogues” were published.

This is the second issue, with a new title-page and contents list. When it was first issued in 1661, it was to be Volume One of a two volume work. In 1666, however, shortly after Volume Two was printed, the Great Fire of London destroyed much of the city. Nearly all copies of the second volume were lost. A small quantity of unused sheets of the first volume remained and in 1667 these were supplied with a new title-page and contents-list with reference to the material in Vol. II omitted. This second issue is very rare and estimated to sell for $30,000 to $40,000 at auction on September 17 .

rare-galileo-text-up-for-auction-2

rare-galileo-text-up-for-auction-3

rare-galileo-text-up-for-auction-4

Sponsored Links

Subscribe to the post comments feeds or Leave a trackback