[Rarebooks] FS: Two Great Astronomical Works by Hevelius bound together. 1673 & 1668

[Karmbooks at aol.com]

(ASTRONOMY) Hevelius, Johannes. MACHINAE COELESTIS, Pars Prior; 
Organographiam Sive Instrumentum Astronomicorum Omnium... Danzig: Auctoris Typis & 
Sumptibus; Imprimebat Simon Reiniger. 1673. Folio. (10),464pp. Illustrated with 30 
fine copper engraved plates (5 of which are double-page). Note: this copy does 
not have the added engraved title or the printed half-title. BOUND WITH: 
Hevelius, Johannes. COMETOGRAPHIA, Totam Naturam Cometarum... Phaenomena, 
Quaestionesque de Cometis Omnes... Cometae Anno 1652, 1661, 1664 & 1665... Studio 
Observati... Danzig: Auctoris Typis & Sumptibus; Imprimebat Simon Reiniger. 1668. 
First edition. Folio. (34),913,(47)pp. Index. With the added engraved title and 
38 fine plates (4 double-page). With numerous text engravings. Note: half-title 
lacking. Both works bound together in cont. plain calf, worn at corners and 
spine extremities; covers rubbed. Hinges quite sound. Some minor text soiling. 
Housed in a half calf folding box.     $85,000.00 (trade discount allowed)
I. The first edition of this great work on the astronomical instruments in 
the author’s own observatory in Danzig, including his long-focus telescopes. 
This and the following work were both privately printed by the author and at his 
expense. A “pars posterior” or second part (solely observational data) was 
published 6 years later, but due to a fire which destroyed Hevelius’ house and 
observatory and printing shop, less than 100 copies of the second part survived 
the fire. See Dibner, HERALDS OF SCIENCE #10; Norman Catalog #1068; BYU, 
JOHANNES HEVELIUS #12.
II. After the author’s SELENOGRAPHIA (1647), COMETOGRAPHIA is considered his 
second greatest work (D.S.B.). It is an exhaustive study of the information 
known about comets over the previous two centuries, with great detail on the 
observation of comets in the 1650’s and 1660’s. Most of the engravings were made 
by Hevelius himself. BYU, JOHANNES HEVELIUS #10; not in the Norman Catalog; 
the Honeyman sale (Vol. 4 #1674) had a defective copy (albeit inscribed!). 

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