(Born, Ignaz Edler von).
Monachologia: or, Handbook of the Natural History of Monks; arranged according to the Linnaean System. By a Naturalist.
Edinburgh; Johnstone and Hunter: 1852. A satire by a scientist and former Jesuit, first published in 1783. Born (1742-1791) was Austrian by birth and educated at a Jesuit college in Vienna. He spent 16 months as a member of the order before leaving, eventually becoming a Freemason. Restless after leaving the Jesuits he studied law for a time in Prague and then toured Holland, France and Germany studying mineralogy. He returned to Prague in 1770, and worked in the department of Mines and the Mint. In 1776 he returned to Austria and wrote several books on mineralogy, including a very influential study in 1786 dealing with extracting precious metals through amalgamation. In addition to his scientific work, Born was known for his satire, especially of the Jesuits. In this work he studies the habits and habitats of that most pernicious of species -the clerical Monk, in a clever send-up of the new Linnaean system. Hardcover. 6"x9", 77 pages, lithographed pictorial title page and 4 lithographed plates showing distinguishing characteristics of monks, plus 14 sepia plates of various types of monks in their natural habitats. Original gilt-pictorial cloth with a gilt-stamped bat holding the title in a banner; rebacked, with new endpapers and a new spine which matches the original red cloth.
$250.00
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