Apr 16, 2026 10:00 EST
Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
27
The first book to contain microscopic illustrations, written by a friend of Galileo
PERSIUS FLACCUS, AULUS and FRANCESCO STELLUTI, translator
Persio: tradotto in verso sciolto e dichiarato. Rome: Giacomo Mascardi, 1630. First edition. Old (possibly period) speckled calf, all edges sprinkled red. 8 1/4 x 5 7/8 inches (21 x 15 cm); [12] ff., 218, [20] pp. indices, collating †-††4 2††4 A-2G44 -2G4 (terminal blank); engraved title page by Matthäus Greuter, engraved portrait of Perseus, one engraved plate, 5 engraved illustrations in text, woodcut initials. Wear to joints with some separation to head and foot, though the binding is still fairly sturdy, light rubbing overall; within, the title is a hair toned, occasional minor marginal stains towards the front, in general a rather fresh copy. Lacking terminal blank (as in most and possibly all copies).
Francesco Stelluti was a friend of Galileo and a founding member of the Accademia dei Lincei (the organization is cited on the engraved title). Among the earliest scientific societies, the significance of the name was that its members would be lynx-eyed in their researches, i.e., acutely observant of the natural world. The book is dedicated to Cardinal Francesco Barberini, whose support for the Accademia Stelluti sought; indeed, the book was largely intended to advertise their activities, the words and phrases of the text of Persius serving as a convenient point of departure for expounding on the research of the Linceans.
This is the first printed book to contain illustrations of organisms viewed through the microscope, with a fine plate of a magnified bee and its various organs on page 52, and a grain weevil in a vignette on page 127. Galileo became a member of the organization in 1611, and the instrument used for these views likely was one of his own, a gift to Federico Cesi, another Lincean. An earlier version of the magnified bee had been used in a broadside of 1625 (this single sheet is vanishingly rare, known in perhaps three copies). Carli-Favaro 121; Cinti 86; Cole 403; Garrison-Morton-Norman 259; Krivatsy 8806; Nissen ZBI 3988; Wellcome I, 4917.
Sold for $4,480
Estimated at $1,500 - $2,500
Includes Buyer's Premium
PERSIUS FLACCUS, AULUS and FRANCESCO STELLUTI, translator
Persio: tradotto in verso sciolto e dichiarato. Rome: Giacomo Mascardi, 1630. First edition. Old (possibly period) speckled calf, all edges sprinkled red. 8 1/4 x 5 7/8 inches (21 x 15 cm); [12] ff., 218, [20] pp. indices, collating †-††4 2††4 A-2G44 -2G4 (terminal blank); engraved title page by Matthäus Greuter, engraved portrait of Perseus, one engraved plate, 5 engraved illustrations in text, woodcut initials. Wear to joints with some separation to head and foot, though the binding is still fairly sturdy, light rubbing overall; within, the title is a hair toned, occasional minor marginal stains towards the front, in general a rather fresh copy. Lacking terminal blank (as in most and possibly all copies).
Francesco Stelluti was a friend of Galileo and a founding member of the Accademia dei Lincei (the organization is cited on the engraved title). Among the earliest scientific societies, the significance of the name was that its members would be lynx-eyed in their researches, i.e., acutely observant of the natural world. The book is dedicated to Cardinal Francesco Barberini, whose support for the Accademia Stelluti sought; indeed, the book was largely intended to advertise their activities, the words and phrases of the text of Persius serving as a convenient point of departure for expounding on the research of the Linceans.
This is the first printed book to contain illustrations of organisms viewed through the microscope, with a fine plate of a magnified bee and its various organs on page 52, and a grain weevil in a vignette on page 127. Galileo became a member of the organization in 1611, and the instrument used for these views likely was one of his own, a gift to Federico Cesi, another Lincean. An earlier version of the magnified bee had been used in a broadside of 1625 (this single sheet is vanishingly rare, known in perhaps three copies). Carli-Favaro 121; Cinti 86; Cole 403; Garrison-Morton-Norman 259; Krivatsy 8806; Nissen ZBI 3988; Wellcome I, 4917.
Auction: Rare Books, Autographs & Maps, Apr 16, 2026
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Successful Auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on April 16, 2026 Surpasses Expectations
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Thomas Jefferson Letter Commenting on Toussaint Louverture Achieves $32,000
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Consignments Are Currently Being Accepted for Future Auctions
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We Invite You to Contact Us for Complimentary Auction Estimates of Your Collection
NEW YORK, NY – Doyle's auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on April 16, 2026 saw international competition drive strong results throughout the sale and a total that surpassed expectations.
Thomas Jefferson Letter on Toussaint Louverture
Highlighting the sale was a fascinating 1802 letter from Thomas Jefferson as president to Maryland Governor John Francis Mercer that achieved a strong $32,000. The remarkable letter captures a rare, candid moment in which Jefferson assesses, with striking clarity, the arrest of Toussaint Louverture, a leader of the Haitian Revolution, by French General Charles LeClerc, Napoleon’s brother-in-law. Jefferson perceptively warned that LeClerc’s actions would erode trust and likely spark further racial conflict—an insight that proved remarkably accurate. Beyond its sharp political foresight, the letter reflects the broader anxiety the Haitian Revolution provoked in the United States, which contributed to decades of diplomatic isolation of Haiti.
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Consignments are currently being accepted for future auctions. We invite you to contact us for complimentary auction estimates. Our Specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.
